Killing me softly
by ClaudiaaXX
Summary: Troypay!/ Sharpay has been hating the new popstar Troy Bolton ever since he's famous. Until her friends bring her to one of his concerts.. His lyrics bring back horrible memories, but no matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to forget about him..
1. Chapter 1

**Killing Me Softly.**

**-Chapter 1.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; This was meant to be a Zashley story first, but since that isn't allowed (which I found out about later) I decided to make it Troypay. **_

*****

**Sharpay's POV.**

"No, seriously, girls. I'm not going with you." I sighed and glanced at Gabriella and Taylor. They had been trying to convince me for like three hours, and I was slowly getting sick of them. Why didn't they just shut up!?

Gabriella gave me a look. "Why not? It's gonna be amazing!"

I groaned. "I have homework to do." was the only one thing I could think of to say.

"Shar, come on. It's fríday. You have the entire weekend to make homework!" Taylor said. Seeing the look on her face made me feel a bit guilty, but I wouldn't give in. There was no way I was going with them.

I sighed again. "How many times do I have to tell you? You might be fans, but I'm not. I hate him and everything about him."

Gabriella dropped her magazine and looked at me in disbelief. "I can't believe you really said that."

"No, I mean, how can you nót like him?! He's like, the most perfect person in this world!" Taylor agreed with Gabriella.

I rolled my eyes, realising it'd make no sense to explain. But I gave it one more shot and told them the exact same thing as I did so many times before. "He's just a jerk who thinks he's all that after having óne hit song. And it wasn't even thát good."

Gabriella picked up her magazine and stood up. "Fine, then stay boring. You have no idea what you're missing out."

"A really bad concert, most likely. No thank you. I think I'll just stick to my homework." I replied sarcasticly. "But have fun tonight."

"If that's possible" I mumbled under my breath.

Taylor also stood up, a bit annoyed because of my attitude. "Thanks. I think we'd better get going. We don't wanna be late."

After saying that she left with Gabriella, leaving for another concert again. Allowing theirselves to ruin their ears by listening to that crap. I laughed slightly and grabbed for my homework. Everything better than going with them..

*

**Troy's POV.**

"Damn, Troy. Just stop being so nervous! You're freaking me out!" Chad yelled out of frustration while watching me walking up and down the room.

I gave him a look, stood still and sighed. "I can't help it either! You know I'm always like this before a show!"

Chad rolled his eyes, not understanding why I was nervous. "I would understand that if this was your first show. But this is like what, the seventh time?"

I looked at him angrily. "Eighth. If it's that important to you."

"Yeah, whatever. You know those girls are like all over you. You only have to flip your hair back and they'll faint anyways." he said with a sarcastic undertone in his voice. "You're too afraid to go off, but they won't even notice."

Now it was my turn to roll eyes. "I'm not nervous because of thát."

Chad looked at me weirdly. Again not understanding what I meant. "Then what's the problem?!"

I started walking up and down the room again, trying to control my upcoming anger towards Chad. "There's no problem. Is it that weird to just be nervous before going on stage?"

"While you know there's no need to? Yeah, pretty much." he replied.

'Yeah, easy to say for you.' Was what I was planning to say. I swallowed my words, almost willing to spit them right back out. But I knew I had to control myself. A new conclusion to my own theory dawned on me: Controlling myself? Impossilbe. I smiled slightly.

I sat down on some chair far away from Chad and buried my head in my hands. Trying to block everything out.

Chad finally stood up, ready to leave me and my nerves alone. "You know what, I'll go take care of some stuff. Good luck tonight." He said as he walked to the door, opened it and then walked out.

*****

**Sharpay's POV.**

_That monday. At School._

As soon as Gabriella saw me walking down the school hallways she ran up to me, followed by Taylor. "Oh my god, Shar! You missed so much friday!"

"Definitely! It was a-ma-zing!" Gabriella agreed, almost screaming of excitement.

I smiled, trying to be happy for them. "Glad you had fun."

"Seriously, I can't believe you don't like him. I mean, he just stood there and smiled.. And I just felt like I would faint!" Taylor said. I glanced at her and she just stared into nowhere, having that weird, dreamy look upon her face, thinking back of friday night. It was kinda hilarious to see.

Gabriella sighed deeply, having the same look on her face. "I know right. But I guess we'll never have a chance." Her dreamy look made place for a disappointed look. Did she really think she'd make a chance? Seriously, were these two girls really my best friends?! It was like he casted some spell on them and they were doomed to love him in each and every single way.

I pat her shoulder, trying to be sympathetic, and pulled a hopeful face. "Just keep trying."

Right after I said that they looked over at me, suddenly falling back into reality, confused about what I just said. I realised they thought I'd suddenly like him too. I shook my head, laughing. "But please don't try to drag me into that obsession of you. It's scaring me."

Taylor laughed along with me. "Really, Shar. Why don't you give him a shot? Just go with us when he'll be performing again."

Gabriella nodded her head, she got over her 'I'll never have a chance'-moment and was fully concentrated on mission 'convince Sharpay', yet again. "Yeah, you really need to go out sometime. Even if it's to a concert of an artist you don't even like."

I sighed, knowing I was running out of excuses to back out of it. I've used the homework-excuse so many times that they wouldn't believe me if I'd tell them one more time. I realised I had no choice other than going with them. And that thought was, kinda exciting actually. Maybe they were right.. Maybe I should go out sometime, even if it was going to see an artist I didn't like. I looked at them, their faces excited and hoping I'd say yes this time. I smiled slightly. "Alright then, I'll think about it.."

*  
After a few weeks, Taylor and Gabriella decided to bring me with them. Which meant, they didn't tell me where we were going. But that got pretty clear when we arrived and I saw all the girls standing in such a long line. I felt betrayed, lied to. They could've asked me and I would consider going. For sure. But they knew I hated surprises, especially this kind of surprises. However, I couldn't back out of it anymore. Even if I'd consider running away they'd run after me and drag me back inside. There was no escape and I had to deal with it. So there I was, standing in line with my arms crossed, an annoyed look upon my face and hoping it would be over really fast.

Taylor looked over some girls' heads and got crankier with every second. "Damn, and just today we have to get the worst place éver."

Gabriella looked kind of disappointed. "I know. I was hoping this might've been my once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet him." she muttered.

I rolled my eyes and smiled, trying to make a joke out of it. "I don't think it's that bad."

Wrong answer. Taylor looked at me angrily. "No, dúh. You want to stand as close to the door as possible. So you can run out on time."

"Which will be pretty fast, I guess. And then after I left, why don't you just punch everybody out of your way so you can finally jump on stage and freak him out. I bet he'll like that." I replied sarcastic. A few girls overheard me and turned to me, a shocked look upon their face. I bet they were wondering what I was doing here if I hated him so much. And they were right. Even Í was wondering what I was doing here.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. "Wow, someone's in a good mood today."

I gave them a look, not even hesitating about changing my attitude. "I could've done something much more fun than this. And I thought this actually seemed like a fun night. Until you two brought me here without telling me where we were going.." I said while looking at some girls' back. I'm sure she heard me, because she looked over her shoulder, then turned to her friend and whispered something. But I didn't care about them.

"You said you'd think about it." Taylor said.

Still in a cranky mood, I sighed. "Yeah, whatever. Next time just ask me if I'd like to join you."

The line started moving forward and Gabriella took a few steps closer to the door, just like Taylor and me. "You'd say no after all."

We reached the door and Taylor pulled it open after it got slammed shut by the girl in front of us. A warm breeze welcomed us inside, I could already hear all the other girls inside, talking excited about the concert.

"And with good reason." I replied, but I followed them inside.

*

After a while I was getting sick of it. I had been trying to listen and not let my ears bleed for like 30 minutes, and that was more than enough for me. I couldn't believe how all those girls were enjoying this. It was pathetic. In only 30 minutes they had to call an ambulance because a few girls fainted or got paranoid. I could barely imagine how they got to this point of weakness. I was ready to leave, if I could only get through the wall of bodies, which seemed impossible since they were almost blocking the door.

"Taylor!" I yelled, trying to make myself noticable

Luckily she heard me and she looked up with reluctance. "What?"

"I'm going home." was all I said. They wouldn't hear or understand me if I'd explain everything.

"What? Why? We're just starting to have fun!" Taylor clearly seemed to have no idea of how horrible I expierenced this whole concert thing.

"I guess this just isn't the place to be for me. I'm not some hyper-dramatic fan like you two. Instead, I still hate him." I screamed above the noise.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, and I knew why. "You don't even trý to listen to his lyrics. Some of them are so good."

"I can't barely imagine thát. I'm leaving. Talk to you later." Without waiting for an answer I turned around and tried to make my way to the exit.

And then, suddenly, I caught some of his lyrics. I stopped and turned around to him, and my throat tightened.

*

**Troy's POV.**

I don't know where she came from, but suddenly she was there. Almost in the middle of the floor, looking over at me with a broken, and shocked look upon her face. It kinda overcame on me.

And no matter how I tried, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I tried to focus on my lines, trying to hit every note. But she was totally bringing me off the track.

I heard the other girls screaming, the music playing, but it became background music to me. Like it wasn't important anymore.

I swallowed during one of the bands' solos and smiled slightly at her. She smiled back at me, the littlest, but most beautiful smile I've ever seen. I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins, and it wasn't because of being on stage, like it should've been. It was her.

And that's when I saw it, tears running down her cheeks, leaving streams of her mascara. She bit her lip and tried to stop it. Trying not to show any of her pain. It confused me, what did I do?!

Even before I was able to blink, she turned around and rushed outside. Not hesitating about turning back again..

*

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	2. Chapter 2

**Killing Me Softly.**

**-Chapter 2.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; This was meant to be a Zashley story first, but since that isn't allowed (which I found out about later) I decided to make it Troypay. **_

*****

**Sharpay's POV.**

I couldn't stand it any longer. I hád to leave. Gabriella was right, his lyrics were good. Better than good. They were perfect. Each line described my life so perfectly, it was scaring me and freaked me out. Teared me up inside.

And that's when I felt it, stupid tears rolling down my cheeks. And I know he saw it. I just couldn't stay there any longer, had to go. I pushed the girls around me aside and ran outside. I sat down on the porch and cried. More than I ever did in the past year. I couldn't ban the memories out of my mind. They kept coming back to me, took control over me. I couldn't believe how stupid I was to allow myself to let the memories come back. I promised myself not to let that happen, but still I couldn't keep myself to it. His lyrics brought them back to me, stronger than before. I buried my head in my hands, trying to let it stop. My head started pounding heavy, and tears kept coming up. And then it came up, flashbacks of the past. The memory took control over me and I relived the moment. Like I was dropped back and relived everything that happened.

*

_"Come on, I won't hurt you." The guy said, he smirked._

_She cried, trying to free herself. But he was too strong. His hands were wrapped around her wrists so tight it hurt. _

_"Stay away from me!" she yelled. She struggled even more to get out of his grip, but he grabbed her wrists even tighter. She screamed out of pain and couldn't help but cried harder. Fear took control over her, she got too scared to even think about what would happen next._

_"I'm begging you, pléáse, let me go." she said, but it came out as a whisper. Her throat felt sore._

_The guys' smile got even bigger. He let go of one of her wrists and gently stroked some hair out of her face. A shiver went through her body. But she was too scared to move._

_"Why don't you just trust me and just do what I say? Nothing will happen to you."_

_Finally able to move, she raised her fist and punched the guy in his face. He jumped backwards, letting go of her other wrist, and grabbed for his bleeding nose. He screamed in pain._

_This was her chance, her chance to run away. She sped up her pace and ran to the end of the alley, but stood still when she saw his mates. Waiting for her. A smirk on their face, an excited look in their eyes. There was no way she could get past them, and that was exactly what they realised. Her face was full of fear, and that made the guys laugh. Frightnend she took a step back and she bumped into another guy._

_"I mean it, leave me alone," She said trying to let her voice sound calm, but she felt how her voice was shaking._

_The guys laughed even harder. "Oh yeah, and what're you gonna do?" one of them asked sarcastic as he took a step closer._

_The guy behind her grabbed her waist, making it unable for her to escape._

_She cried. "Please, just stop it."_

_The sarcastic one took another few steps closer, until he stood right infront of her. He played with one of her brown curls as he lifted her chin up. "And who is going to make me stop?" his hands reached for her buttoned shirt, and he slowly started to unbutton each button..._

*

I screamed frightnend, too scared by the memory. It was too realistic. It looked too real. Thinking back of that day made me feel even worse, I felt how my hands were shaking, I felt fear but I also felt anger. Anger towards the guys who did that to me. They were the first ones to make an unfixable mark on my heart, like a tattoo. Unable to ever fade away. They were the beginning of everything. The beginning of my unknown past. A past hé brought back to me with his lyrics. I tried to control myself, but I couldn't seem to calm down.I shut my eyes, so tight it hurt. But I couldn't block it out, I couldn't stop my memories from coming back to me. I couldn't seem to escape from them. And I kept crying, tasting the salt of the tears on my lips. I felt like throwing up. Like collapsing. Like just let myself disappear and never come back. Only to let those memories leave my mind.

Suddenly, a soft voice came from behind. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.

I turned around to see who was talking to me, but as soon as I noticed hím, I turned back. Too scared he would see me like this. "I'm.. fine." I mumbled as reply.

He swallowed. "Really? 'Cause you seem pretty upset to me.." He hesitated for a while but then sat down next to me.

I tried to stop my tears from falling, but they kept coming back. "S-so.?" I stuttered, not able to talk normally. "I mean, what would you care? You don't even know me." My voice broke, my throat tightnend.

He looked aside, at me. Then he sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

I swallowed and closed my eyes, counted to ten and then exhaled. I almost got control over my voice again. "Don't you have to go back inside? I mean, you are thé superstar tonight." I said with a sarcastic undertone in my voice, wondering why he was sitting next to me.

He shrugged his shoulders, stared straight ahead and didn't stand up. "I'm done for tonight."

"Ok.. I guess I didn't make it clear enough.. You might be popular and everything, but I'm.. not.. interested. So why don't you just get up and go back inside. I'm sure they'll be happier with your company than I am right now." I said calmly, I was surprised by the confident tone of my own voice.

He looked back at me, a confused look upon his face. "Why would I? I mean, I'm not gonna let some stranger decide where I have to be or not." He answered.

His answer kind of made me angry. Who did he think he was?!

"You're so full of yourself, huh? Thinking you got it all figured out. Newsflash, attention-seeker; Not everyone faints or freaks out when they see or hear you."

I don't know why, but he started laughing slightly.

"And you really think I didn't notice you were crying before you left, huh?"

I looked away from his gaze and sighed. "Just shut up and leave me alone. You don't know anything about me."

Then he stood up -by my surprise- and flipped his hair back. Maybe he was hoping I would be impressed, but I wasn't. Now I realised why I hated him again.

"Fine. I was just trying to figure you out. But I don't think that'll happen if you're gonna be this way." hHe said.

I felt annoyed, angry and disgusted. "Who says I want you to figure me out!? Just go and make sure I never see you again."

What I said came as a shock to him, I saw it in his face. But he covered up and walked away without giving me a reply.

I buried my head in my hands again. "Stupid, arrogant jerk." I mumbled to myself.

*

Another voice came from behind. Taylors' this time. "Shar? What are you still doing here?"

"Yeah, we thought you'd leave" Gabriella said.

I didn't look up, but I heard them walking down the doorstairs and I knew they were standing right in front of me. They'd probably be looking at each other, worried about me sitting on the doorstairs.

I inhaled deep, then looked up and faked a smile. "I just wanted to wait for you two."

Taylor dragged me up and hugged me. "That's sweet of you."

I saw Gabriella standing behind her with a worried look on her face.

"Sharpay? Are you okay? You look like you could break down in tears any moment." She asked.

I swallowed, not planning on telling them what happened. So I lied. "I'm fine.. Just tired."

Taylor felt there was something wrong, I could tell. "Today wasn't such a good idea for you, huh?" She said.

I shook my head, still thinking about my conversation with him. I couldn't get it off of my mind. Stupid as I was.

Gabriella hugged me aswell. "Come on, I'll take you home."

*

**Troy's POV.**

After she blew me off I went back inside, like she asked me to. But I left my mind with her. I felt like a ghost while walking through the corridors, part of me didn't even realise all the screaming girls around me, trying to get to me. But I wasn't really there. I felt numbed.

My head was still at the conversation we had. And I couldn't seem to forget about it, like I should.

I know it's unfair, but at that moment I really didn't feel like pretending I was okay while my mind was somewhere else. So I ignored all the fans and walked right over to the back of the building. As I was expecting, Chad was waiting for me. His smile was contagious, but I didn't feel like smiling along with him. I knew why he was smiling. My show went good. But that wasn't important to me right now. Instead; I couldn't care less about it..

As soon as he closed the door -trying to keep the fans outside-, Chad turned around and his smile seemed to get even bigger. "You did it again!" he yelled. "This show was most likely the best you've ever done!"

I faked a smile, but it didn't feel good. I don't even think it came out as a smile. "Thanks. At least they seemed to like it." I pointed at the door, still hearing the girls screaming. I rubbed over my forehead, trying to forget about what just happened.

Unfortunately Chad noticed something was wrong. "What's up with you? Usually you're like all excited and you talk so much my ears almost fall off." he laughed.

I laughed along with him, just so he wouldn't get any more suspicious. I didn't feel like laughing, or being happy at all. Somehow she made me realise what I've became, and she was right. I was being selfish and I admit, I loved all the attention. But was that really what I want? She facinated me, like there was so much more going on with her, so much more than anyone knew. And I felt the need to find out what that was. Sure, the chance I would ever see her again was as small as the chance she would ever want to talk to me again, but somehow I was hoping to see her again. I was longing to talk to her again. To figure her out. Something I never wanted before. And that confused me. Why was she so different from the rest? Right after I asked myself that question, I knew the answer; Because it seemed like she didn't even want to be there, her friends probably forced her to. And somehow she turned around to me and met my eyes. Somehow she broke down in tears, and I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why she ran away. I wanted to know everything about her.

Chad's voice brought me back to reality, even though his voice seemed to come from far away. "Hey, you heard what I said?!"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

"I want to leave, you're ready?" he looked at me, a bit annoyed. I was wondering how many times he asked before I replied.

"Uhm. Yeah, I'm ready." I gathered my stuff together and then left the building, still with too many thoughts running through my head.

*****

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	3. Chapter 3

**Killing Me Softly.**

**-Chapter 3.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; This was meant to be a Zashley story first, but since that isn't allowed (which I found out about later) I decided to make it Troypay**_

*****

**Sharpay's POV.**

A few days passed by. Ever since that night my mind was confused. Every day I kept thinking about it. And every night, when I tried to fall asleep, nightmares haunted me. Unable to let me fall asleep again. I was so exhausted from all the stress. I couldn't focus on anything, schooldays passed by in a blur. Unrealistic. Like I wasn't really alive, like I was some kind of ghost floating through the hallways without paying attention to anyone or anything. It just became unreal to me. My memories kept haunting me, and every time I tried to block them out they seemed to come back even harder. And still I couldn't get our conversation out of my head. I know it was nothing important, but there was something -I couldn't put my finger on whatever it must've been-, what made me keep thinking about it.

I never thought I would be able to do it, but I downloaded the song and put it on my iPod. Stupid me. How could I even listen to someone I hated? I had been listening to it over and over again, and every minute I didn't hear it felt like I got brought back into the real world, where every memory seemed so real. Listening to his song made me feel a bit less miserable. Like I could forget about the memories and just get lost in the song. It gave me hope, even though I can't explain why. I guess I was just hoping to move on. But everytime I hit the stop-button my mind got full of thoughts, memories and flashbacks again. The ones I always hid away, and ever since I heard that stupid song they kept coming back. But it also felt like I couldn't leave it alone, like I wanted to bring back the memories. And that confused me..

***

It was saturday evening. Me and Gabriella were at Taylors', just to hang out a bit. I was lying on the bed, my legs crossed, up in the sky. Just flipping through the pages of a magazine. iPod on, volume up, and of course, his song playing. I wouldn't have recognized myself a few weeks ago. I'd call myself crazy for even listening to his voice. And that's exactly why I didn't tell Taylor and Gabby about it. They'd be like: "See? We told you!", and that was the last thing I wanted to hear. So there I was, lying on the bed and just moving my head to the rythm of the music.

"What're you listening to?" Taylor asked as she jumped on the bed and sat down next to me. She pulled one of my earphones out of my ear and was about to put it in her ear.

As fast as I could I pulled it back, too afraid she'd notice."Oh, nothing. Just some artist." I replied while putting the earphone back in my ear.

But she didn't give up. "Come on. Just let me hear."

"Taylor, no!" I sighed. I quickly grabbed my iPod and switched it off. I took the earphones off and looked at Taylor. "Seriously, it's no one."

Taylor gave me a look. "It's him, huh?"

I swallowed, was it that obvious? Was I thát predictable? "Who's him?" I asked, pretending to have no idea what she was talking about.

"Just admit it. You're listening to Troy's music." She said.

I felt my face turning red. But yet I didn't want to admit. "What?! Hell no! Why would I listen to that crap!?"

Before I could even notice she grabbed my iPod and put it on to see which song I played before I turned it off. "Ha!" she yelled. "See? You were listening to that 'crap' " She made quotation marks with her fingers.

I sighed. "Okay, fine. I did. So what? It's the only song I got. And the only good one. It's not like I have to be like all over him now."

"Sure not. But if you like one song, you start listening to other songs, and then you'll become a fan. And then next thing you know you're just as obsessed as we are." Taylor smiled excitedly.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, there's no way that's going to happen with me." I replied. But I was hesitating about it. What if it was exactly what was happening with me right now? I shook my head, not paying attention to Taylor and Gabriella sharing glances. No, there was no way. I only liked that song because of the lyrics. For the rest he didn't mean a thing to me. I got more doubts. Then why was I thinking about him all the time!?

*

**Troy's POV.**

"Damn it." I leaned my head forward and closed my eyes. I was sitting here for hours already. Trying to write a new song. But I kept scrapping things, and then wrote them over again. I picked up my pen and balanced it on my fingers. Why couldn't I make up something better? Everything I wrote down so far looked like some cheesy, usual love song. I sighed. It's never been hard for me to write songs. And now suddenly I couldn't seem to think of something new. Well, I could, but it wasn't what I wanted.

I grabbed for my guitar and played a few of the chords I had been working on. I had the melody, but not the words. Usually I could put everything I felt in a song, but this time I was so confused I didn't even know how to write it down. Why was I even trying to make this thing work?

I didn't expect to see her ever again. But I just felt like I had to make it. Maybe to understand things better. I was sure the other fans would like it, but I wanted to know if shé would like it.. Probably not, she hated me. The first one who wasn't ashamed to admit that. I smiled slightly. Why did that make me smile? I shouldn't care about that kind of people, but then why couldn't I get her off of my mind?

Another line came to me and I wrote it down. Then I overread the whole thing. Annoyed by myself I scrapped it again. Angrily I threw the pen away, it ended up in the farest corner of the room.

Someone opened the door and Sandra, my manager, came in.

"Writing a new song?" she asked as she picked the pen up and walked over to me. Then she looked down at the paper infront of me.

I sighed. "Trying to. I've got the chords, but the words don't seem to come up."

"If you want, I could ask David to help you."

"No!" I replied. There was no way I was gonna let some songwriter help me. He would make it the opposite of what I would want it to be. "I mean, I'd rather write it all by myself, if you don't mind. It just needs time, but I'm sure it'll come to me sooner or later."

Sandra looked at me, not seeming to understand why I didn't want help.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't look at me that way."

She sighed. "Just let me know if you change your mind."

"I will." I nodded, while writing a new line down.

Sandra looked over my shoulder, reading what I wrote down. "I like that."

I looked up, kind of shocked. I didn't realise she suddenly stood right behind me. "Really?" I asked incredulously.

She nodded. "Yeah. And as far as I can read the other lines, they're good too. Don't be too hard on yourself." She pat my shoulder comfortably.

"It's not what I'm going for." I said. I buried my head in my hands. "I want it to be good, not just some usual song where it's all about how good love is, and how happy it makes you and stuff."

I looked up again. "It's not how I feel."

It took a while until Sandra answered. "Troy, who's this about?"

I looked away quickly and swallowed. "No one. Just someone I met." I replied.

"A fan?" she asked.

"What? No! You know I'd never do that." I looked back at her. I saw she was worried about me.

She sighed. "Troy, I'm just saying. Be careful who you're talking to. You never know if they only want you because you're famous, or who they're working for."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"I hope so.." She said. Then she walked out and closed the door behind her.

***

Two weeks later they planned another concert.. I finally got to finish my song and I was all ready for the show. Even though I was more nervous than before, it felt good to go back on stage after two weeks full of stress. It took me so much longer than I thought to get that song right, but eventually I was satisfied with the result. No one but my management heard it, and I was excited to do it tonight. Sure, it was totally different from what I used to write, but I hoped they liked it anyways. And of course I was hoping to see hér. Even though I knew the chance that she would be there was really small.

Sandra stood behind me, trying to calm me down a bit. She knew I was more nervous than before, but she thought it was because I was about to play the new song for the first time. If she only knew the real reason why I was nervous..

"Just calm down, okay? They'll love it." she said while pushing me forward. "Come on, let's go."

I inhaled one more time, and then got on stage. The spotlights blinded me, and the screaming became louder and louder. I smiled and thanked the fans for coming yet again. Then I started playing.

***

The atmosphere was great, we were halfway the show and I did great. I tried to hid away my disappointment, because I didn't see her. I was slowly giving up hope. She wasn't coming back.. Doing that new song while she wasn't even here didn't feel right, but I knew I had to do it..

I just finished my previous song and the screaming got even louder than before. I grabbed the microphone and waited till they calmed down a bit.

"Ok, so, I've got something new for you." I said in the microphone, the screaming started again. I smiled. "It's a song I've been writing on the past few weeks, and I'm really proud it's finally done."

I paused. Trying to find the right words to say. "Not so long ago, I met this person who totally brought me off the track. It was like falling in love, but differently. This song is different from what you used to know from me, but I hope you'll enjoy it." I said, giving the band the sign to start playing. The melody started and I felt my nerves coming back again. I looked at the people, hoping to see her face. And that's when I caught her eyes. She smiled. Amazed and shocked at the same time I realised she díd come back. And she'd be hearing the song I wrote, about her, right now. Suddenly a fear came over me, but I wouldn't show. I would continue like I was planning if I couldn't seem to find her.

The first line came up and I started singing, without taking my eyes off of her..

**

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	4. Chapter 4

**Killing Me Softly.**

**-Chapter 4.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**Troy's POV.**

After I hit the last note the crowd got crazy. They loved it. I know I should've paid attention to them, but she was the only thing I could see. And she was still smiling, not hesitating about looking away or anything. Her eyes were locked on mine. And I couldn't seem to turn away either. It was weird, but if felt good. Something I never felt before. Knowing she was there and knowing she heard the song made me feel a bit awkward, but I was glad I did it.

I smiled and thanked the crowd. I felt great. Then I got off the stage for a break.

Sandra ran up to me as soon as she saw me coming offstage. "That was amazing!" she yelled happily while giving me a high-five.

"Thanks. It was great doing this for the first time. We should do this more often." I said grinning.

"It's definitely something to consider for your next album." Sandra agreed, and she smiled big. There was something going on, I was sure of that. And she waited till I understood what she meant.

Suddenly I realised what she just said. "Wait, my next album? Do you mean, they agreed?" I asked excitedly.

Sandra almost jumped up and down of excitement. "Yeah. I just got a call. They want you to sign the official contract!"

"Really? That's great!" I couldn't believe it Could this night get any better?

"I'll get a call from them to make an appointment. They want to discuss everything with you before you sign."

"That's okay. I'll be there." I said. "Uhm, I'm just going outside to get some fresh air. I'll be right back." I looked at Sandra.

"Don't worry, I'll take the other exit. They won't see me." I told her when I saw her worried look.

She smiled slightly. "Oh, okay then."

"Thanks again." I said and I went to the back of the building, rushing through the corridors.

**Sharpay's POV.**

I can't believe I made myself going again, but somehow I was happy that I did. I told Taylor and Gabriella that I had nothing else to do and they gave me an unconvinced look, but I didn't care. I knew they were realising I started to like his music too. I was just hoping they didn't realise he was in my mind more often than I wanted. And when I heard his new song, I couldn't help but love it. He kept looking at me and that felt.. I don't know, good. It was so cute to know he wrote this song to someone special. And he was looking at that specific person during the whole song. It gave me a weird feeling knowing that person was no one else other than me. Hopefully my friends didn't notice that. I don't know, but something made me change my opinion about him, and I felt like a whole new person. I did what Taylor was begging me to do for so long, giving him a chance. And now I finally did I started to believe he was more than just an arrogant, popular singer. I finally started to get why everybody was like all over him. And they were right, his lyrics were good. He looked great. And his voice sounded really cute. But somehow I still linked the first time I heard his song to the way I liked him now. I still thought it was because of that song and our conversation. And if we ever got to talk again, which I doubted, I think I would still act uninterested. How weird that may sound.

After he played his new song, -my song- and he went offstage I looked at Taylor and Gabriella. They were clearly in love with his new song, but they didn't seem to realise it was written for me. That made me feel kind of special.

Taylor smiled. "That was so different, but so amazing!" she yelled.

Gabriella couldn't agree more. "I know! I wish I was the girl he wrote it for."

'You have no idea what that's like' I thought to myself, and I couldn't help but smile.

Taylor looked over at me. "Shar? Why are you smiling like that?" she asked with a curious look upon her face.

I shook my head and snapped out of my thoughts. "Oh, nothing."

"You liked the new song?" Gabriella asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's okay." I said, still trying to cover up how I felt inside.

"You know, I think I'm going outside for a while. I'll be back soon." I said, and without waiting for their reply I went outside.

Once outside I got overwhelmed by a mix of emotions. I was confused, because I didn't know how to feel. Upset, because I still couldn't block my memories out, and being here again brought back the memory of our conversation. And disappointment. I don't know, I think I was hoping he would sit on the porch waiting for me to talk. Stupid as I was. Of course he wouldn't sit there. And if he did, a bunch of other girls would be around him screaming and asking for photos. Pathetic as they were.

I wasn't expecting anything, I just stood there; Leaning against the wall and arms crossed against my chest. I inhaled deep, a cold November-breeze was blowing through my hair.

And then suddenly, out of nowhere, came his voice. "So you decided to come back even though you hate me?"

**Troy's POV.**

I didn't expect to run into her, but there she was. Leaning against the wall, staring into nowhere. She looked even more beautiful than I remembered. She wore a long, black trenchcoat til her knees, ripped jeans underneath and ankle length boots. The wind played with her long, blonde hair. She looked gorgeous. As soon as she heard my voice she looked up. Her eyes glistened in the yellow-white light of the nearest streetlight. She tried to hide a smile, but she failed.

"Uhm.. yeah.. I.. uh.. My friends dragged me with them. Again.." She stuttered after an awkward silence. "And I don't hate you, I just..-"

Our eyes locked together, I smiled at her. "Yeah..?"

She seemed nervous and looked away quickly. I watched her as she was trying to find the right words. "I just.. I just..-" She sighed. "Nothing, forget about it."

She kept looking down as she swallowed again. "That new song of you.." she started.

"Yeah, what about it?" I answered, I felt my nerves coming back. I put my hands in the pockets of my jeans and waited for the rest of whatever she was about to say.

She looked up again, back into my eyes. My throat tightnend a bit.

She smiled slightly. "It's amazing. Really."

"You think so?" I replied immediately. I felt so embarrassed. But I couldn't help it. My nerves were taking control over me, and it was freaking me out.

Her smile got bigger. "Yeah.."

She slid down the wall until she sat on the cold, tiled ground. She brought her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. She nodded next to her. "Why don't you sit down?" she asked.

Surprised by what she said I looked at her. Did she really want me to sit down?! I know I should've said no, if I didn't want to let this go too far. But I just couldn't reject.

So I walked over to her and sat down next to her.

**

A few minutes passed by and neither one of us said a word. We were just sitting there. Both of us stared straight ahead in the distance. She seemed to be far away, listening to her thoughts. And me? I was just trying to find words to say. There was something bothering me, but I didn't know how to ask her about it. I decided to just ask her right away.

"You know.." I started. She looked at me, a little bit shocked by my words after the long silence between us. I smiled slightly. "I was just wondering.. What is the real reason why you came back tonight?"

She swallowed. Hesitating about lying again or telling me the truth. Eventually she choose for the last option. She sighed deeply. "I just felt like I.. like I had to come back after last time."

"Why?" I asked, I tried not to show that her answer made me feel kinda.. I don't know.. happy.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Does it even matter?" she said, she looked away from me and stared straight ahead again.

I hesitated about my answer. "It does to me.." I replied after a short silence.

"Why? What's so special about me?" She bit her lip and swallowed hard. I'm not sure, but it looked like she was holding back tears.

I looked down, trying to find the right words to say. "I don't know.. You just.." I sighed. "You were the first one telling me the truth about myself. And I don't know what it meant to you, but I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation after you left, ok?"

"No, it's not okay!" She suddenly yelled, not trying to stop the tears any longer. She looked back at me with watery eyes. "Don't you get it? I used to hate you, and after having one conversation with you I've never been so confused in my entire life! I don't even get why I came back to see you again, it just makes things harder."

"What kind of things?" I asked. I didn't understand what she was talking about at all.

Then suddenly she turned away, yet again. Realising she said something she didn't want me to know. "It's none of your buisness." she said and her voice broke. I felt like comforting her, but I didn't know how. She wouldn't let me anyways.

She intertwined her fingers with each other and closed her eyes. Trying to block me out. She inhaled deeply and re-opened her eyes. She looked back at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude." She said, having control over her voice again.

"It.. it's okay.." I replied. I was confused. Even more than I used to be. I couldn't understand it any longer, and I wanted to figure her out so badly. I didn't even know where that sudden need to figure her out came from, but I knew I was going to try my hardest to find out.

She smiled a genuine and beautiful smile. She wiped her tears away. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"That song you wrote. Well, I hope this doesn't sound weird. But.. it was about our conversation, right?" She said, her eyes full of curiousity. As far as I could see in the pale light, her cheeks colored light red.

I smiled slightly back at her. "Yeah.. It was.." I said, feeling kind of embarrassed. "I was hoping that.. if I'd write it down, it'd be easier to understand things. But you keep making it harder for me.."

"Why do you wanna figure me out so badly?" She asked. She stroked her hair behind her ear.

Suddenly Sandra stood infront of us. She looked down at me, her arms crossed and a kind of angry look upon her face. I was shocked to see her, I totally forgot about the concert or the time.

"Troy, you should've been inside already! Your show goes on in about ten minutes!" Sandra said. She looked at the girl next to me with a critical look. And by that look I could tell she didn't like her.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be right there, ok? I was about to leave." I said calmly.

Sandra sighed. "Fine. You have five minutes or I came back and drag you inside if I have to."

"I'm sure you will.." I mumbled. I heard a soft giggling next to me, and I looked at her. Sandra cleared her throat loudly and I looked back at her.

"I'll be right over there, I said."

"Ugh. Young artists these days!" Sandra exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air to give her words more 'feeling'. Then she turned around and walked back to the building.

I laughed. "Sorry about that. She's kinda.. maternal sometimes. But she's a good manager."

She was still giggling. "It's ok. You should better get inside, do you really think she'd come back if you don't show up?"

I nodded. "Oh, I'm sure she will." I slowly got up on my feet and helped her up. "So.. You think I'll ever see you again?" I asked hopefully.

She smiled slightly. "I don't know.. I'm not sure if this is such a good idea.."

I could barely hide my disappointment. "What? Why?"

"It's not because of you.. It's just.. things haven't been easy since I met you.." She said, avoiding my look.

"But.. what if I want to see you again?" I could barely believe I really said that. She must've had a really big impact on me to make me say that..

She looked up sadly. "You can't always get anything you want, Troy.." I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins, hearing her saying my name. Wait, I didn't even know hers!

She swallowed and continued. "Even if I'd want the same.."

"But.. what stops you?" I asked confused. I didn't understand her, not at all. If she wanted to see me again, why did she try to back out of it?!

"There's just too many things going on.." She said while looking down. I didn't realise I was still holding her hand until she looked down. But I didn't let go. I didn't want to.

"Like what? I could help.."

She shook her head. Trying not to let her tears fall again. "No, there's no one who can help me." Then she started crying.

Without thinking about it I reached out for her and pulled her into a hug. Surprisingly she let me, and I comfortably rubbed her back. She laid her head onto my shoulder and just cried.

"I'm sorry, Troy. But I just can't.. do it." She said stuttering. But she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me back. It was so confusing. She said she couldn't let it happen, but then why was she here; in my arms, crying while I was trying to comfort her? Something didn't seem right.

"Please don't say that." I said, and I meant it. I didn't think I could take it if I would never see her again.

I heard Sandra's voice calling me, but I didn't pay attention to it.

*

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	5. Chapter 5

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 5.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**Sharpay's POV.**

I don't know why I didn't pull away or anything. But his arms around me made me feel so safe.. I heard his manager calling his name, but he wasn't planning on letting me go. And I didn't want him to. I just cried and tried to keep my mind from thinking. Why couldn't I just give in? Why was it so hard to just say that I díd want to see him again. Because that was exactly what I was wanting.. But something stopped me. Some part of me couldn't just admit it, didn't want to approve it. Because I was scared. I was too scared to let the past come back to me, and he was the reason why it came back to me.. I was in a fight with my feelings. I tried to hold on to my statement, and do the right thing. I would decide not to come around any more and I would never see him again. But there was something inside of me which didn't want to let me do that. I couldn't. Maybe it was better to do the wrong thing this time. But was that the way from keeping myself from reliving my memories again? The more I started thinking about it, the less I wanted to let go of him and walk away. Maybe he could help me, maybe he was the one to help me move on from everything. But I was afraid for everything what would come along with that. Because everytime I'd see him I'd remind myself of my past, how crazy that might sound. But then why did that seem like the right thing to do? Maybe this was one of those situations where I just had to follow my heart, instead of listening to my thoughts. It would get hard, but maybe it would get even harder if I tried to stay away from him..

Troy's manager called his name again, but he still didn't reply. I realised I was finally calming down. I pulled away slowly and looked at him. "I.. I think you should better get going." I said, even though I wanted him to stay with me.

He shook his head. "I wanna know if I'll ever see you again first." He replied, and I saw he was sure about his decision.

Suddenly I felt exhausted, from all the tears and all the stress. I sighed. "I don't know.. I mean, I'd love to see you again. Really. But there's just some things going on right now and as much as I hate to say it, you're the reason it started.. So what would it mean if I'd let you into my life?" I said, I felt stupid for saying those words right after I said them. Troy looked worried, but sad and upset too.

It took a while before he answered. "After our conversation I kept thinking about it. And so did you. Do you really think that if you leave now we wouldn't be still thinking about it in two weeks?" He whispered.

I swallowed. "I'd get tended to come back. And knowing myself, I know I would come back again. No matter what I said.."

His eyes lightend up a bit. "But what does that mean for now?"

"I guess that means that no matter how hard I'd try, I would come back anyways.. I couldn't stay away the first time either.." I smiled slightly. I made my decision, and I wouldn't hesitate about it any longer.

He smiled back at me. "So.. that means I'll see you in a few weeks?" His voice sounded hopeful. And I couldn't disappoint him, now could I?

"I guess so.." I said. I wasn't sure of what would happen next, but I didn't want to know yet. I decided to just let it happen and I'd see what it meant for us.. Even though the thought of being haunted by all the memories still scared me.. I knew myself, and I knew for sure that I would be unable to stay away.. So maybe I just had to allow myself to let it happen.

Sandra's voice screamed for Troy's name yet again, even louder and angrier than before. I laughed slightly. "She didn't come and get you yet."

He laughed along with me. "Not yet, no. But she will if I don't go now." He said.

"We can't let that happen, can we." I said. I saw his look. "Troy, It's ok. You can go. I'll be fine."

"You sure?" He asked, he was still worried about me. That made me feel warm inside.

I nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"Good.. Uh.. ok. Then I'd better go now.." He stuttered. "I guess I'll see you later, uh ...-" He looked at me, realising he didn't ask for my name yet.

I laughed, louder and more guinine than I did before. It felt good to laugh. "Sharpay." I said.

He smiled at me a bit embarrassed. "Sharpay.." He repeated my name. "Ok.. So i'll see you around."

"Definitely." I said.

Then Troy slowly started walking away.

"Oh, and Troy?" I shouted after him.

He turned around to face me. "Yeah?''

"I uhm.. Thanks for comforting me." I said shyly.

His smile got even bigger. It was contagious. So I smiled back. "No problem." He said. Then he walked back to the building.

I sighed deeply. I think I finally understood what Taylor and Gabriella meant. The only difference was that I felt it for real. They were dreaming about a chance to meet him, and for some odd reason, he chose to sit next to me on the porch when I was crying my eyes out. Life can take unexpected steps, but eventually I think I'm glad it did. I smiled and went back inside, like I told him I would..

**Troy's POV.**

After I left her to do the second half of the show, I couldn't help but smile. I felt great. That was mainly because this time I was sure she'd be there next time, and maybe I'd be able to talk to her again during the break. I don't know why, but that thought made me kinda nervous. Why was I so into her? It was not like I never liked a girl before, but there was something about her. Something I hadn't figured out yet. And I was dying to get to know her. I know it was wrong, maybe even a bit selfish. I never liked being followed by paparazzi all the time, but did I really want her to get followed by them if we might turn into something?! I shook my head. I was hoping too much. I was holding on to something I wasn't even sure of what it was. Why was I thinking about Sharpay and me as 'us', as in, being together? I mean, I couldn't be into someone that much just after talking with her two times, could I?

I walked through the corridors and opened a door to another room. As I was expecting, Sandra and the entire management were waiting for me. Sandra with a very angry look upon her face. And I knew why, she wouldn't approve me dating someone, because I would be in the spotlights even more than I already did and she didn't want fame to get to my head. Like that didn't happen already. Plus, she wouldn't want me to see anyone until she knew everything about that person. Kinda pathetic, like she was my mother. Well, she kinda was, as in, mother of my management. Maybe she played her role a bit too good.

After I closed the door behind me she walked over to me. She was talking on the phone with someone. "Yeah.. I make sure they'll get signed, don't worry about that.. Ok.. Bye.." she said in the phone, and hung up. Then she looked at me with an 'explain-me-everything'-look upon her face.

I pretended not to notice. "What!?"

She rolled her eyes. "Troy, do you have any idea what you're doing right now?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?!" I replied, still acting like I didn't know what she was talking about.

"That girl you were talking to maybe?"

I sighed. "I have a show to do. Talk to me afterwards." I said while walking to the door.

"You're not going anywhere." Sandra said angry.

I turned around to face her. "You don't want me to disappoint my fans, do you?" I raised my eyebrows expectantly, wondering what she was going to say. She never wanted me to disappoint my fans, I knew that.

She hesitated for a while. And she knew I was right. After a while she sighed. "Fine. But we'll talk." she said with a strict tone in her voice.

"We will.." I nodded. Then I walked out of the door.

**Sharpay's POV.**

Still a bit numbed by what just happened I walked back inside. I pulled a few girls aside, trying to find Taylor and Gabriella.

"God, it's such a mess here. It's like those girls are everywhere!" I said when I reached them. I was trying to act normal, and I hoped they fell for it.

Taylor clearly didn't seem to believe me. "Hmm-mm." she said while giving me a sceptical look. "Shar, what happened?"

"Wha-What do you mean?" I asked stuttering. I looked from Taylor at Gabriella and back at Taylor.

"Your face. It's bright red." Gabriella said, holding back a giggle.

"It is?" I pretended not to know. "Oh, uh.. It's just really cold outside."

"That isn't the only reason, huh?" Taylor raised an eyebrow, she wasn't convinced yet.

"Uh.. I.. Uhm..-" I sighed. "Why don't you just believe me?" I asked.

Taylor shared a quick look with Gabriella. "She's changing topics, V."

"She is.. You must've bumped into a really hot guy and you don't want anyone to notice him if you're changing topics like that!" She said, they both looked at me.

"What?" I said, surprised by their stupid conclusion. "Oh, I did? Come on, have you seen any guys around here, except for him?!" I pointed at the stage, he wasn't up yet, but I was sure they'd know who I was talking about. Mentioning him gave me a warm feeling inside.

"Hmm, damn it, you're right.." Taylor looked down, trying to think of another reason. Of course she couldn't make anything up.

"Unless.." Gabriella started. I knew what she was about to say, and I have to say I was glad that the lights turned off and the spotlights went on at that moment. This meant she was unable to speak her mind, because she immediately looked over at the stage and forgot about what she was about to say. I crossed my arms and bit my lip, still trying to make my attitude look like I didn't like him. If my friends only knew it was killing me to have to pretend. But I knew it was for the best..

And then he came back onstage, and the crowd got wild. It was so weird, seeing him like this made me feel like we had been talking like days ago, instead of just minutes. He didn't seem as reachable as the guy I was talking to a few minutes ago. He seemed like a whole other person. I mean, I know he was the same, but the guy I just spoke with was less popstar than I thought he would be. And now he was standing on stage again, I don't know, it kinda scared me.

Then he flashed the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, and of course everyone screamed. But I knew it was meant for me, because he couldn't seem to get his eyes off of me as soon as he found me.

*

**A/N; Awh, finally there's some romance! lol. I can tell you, from now on things will only get better.. Or worse.. **

**Read the next chapter to find out!**

*****

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	6. Chapter 6

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 6.**

*****

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; Thanks for all the amazing reviews (so far)! You guys are the best! **_

_**Note3; (Sorry for all the notes!xD) I'll try to upload a new chapter every 2 or 3 days, so stay tuned for the next one!**_

*

**Troy's POV.**

After what seemed like forever, the show was over. I was exhausted and all I wanted was to go to bed. But I knew Sandra would be waiting for me, ready to complain about how I shouldn't do this. I would just nod and "hmm-mm" when needed, but for the rest I wouldn't be listening to her annoying voice. She couldn't stop me from doing what I wanted to do. No matter how she tried.

I went to the changing room and just sat down, tired. A soft 'knock' sounded on the door and I knew it was Sandra.

I sighed. "Yeah?"

"Can I come in?" Her voice said from behind the door.

"Sure." I said. The door opened and Sandra walked in. I don't know why, but she looked pretty uncomfortable.

"So, what's wrong?" I asked, although I already knew what she was going to say.

"Troy, about this evening..-'' She started.

"I know, the show went great, right?" I interrupted her, I was just trying to avoid what she wanted to talk about, even though I knew I couldn't hold on forever.

She nodded. "It went awesome. But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Then what was?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "The girl you were talking to this night." She looked at me, waiting for my reply.

"What about her?" I asked while looking down to untie my shoes.

"Troy, you do realise we have to get her background information to know what she is, don't you?"

I sighed and looked up. "There's no way I'm gonna let that happen." I said, kind of angry. "Why do you always need to know everything about everyone!?"

She looked shocked. "I'm your manager, I have the right to do that."

I tried to stay calm. "No, you don't, Sandra."

"What?! But I..-"

"You're messing up with my private life, which is actually none of your buisness. Just stay out of it, I know what I'm doing." I said while I stood up. I didn't feel like being here any longer.

Sandra still couldn't get out of her words. "Troy, I..-"

"You know what, I don't even wanna know. You always told me what to do with my work, and I appreciated that. But I'm not gonna let you control my private life." After saying that I opened the door and walked out.

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

_Three weeks later._

I was standing outside for fifteen minutes already. I was slowly giving up hope. He asked me to come back when he was finished the show, and of course I couldn't resist. I got Taylor and Gabriella to believe me with some lame excuse about my mum picking me up. I was all excited when he asked me to see him again, but now it finally came to that point I didn't believe in it anymore. I couldn't believe he let me down after what he said.

I was about to leave home, when something popped into my mind. I knew where the 'other exit' he's been talking about was, what if I just..? No, I couldn't do that. What if one of his security guards opened and banned me to come any more? I looked aside, in the direction where he came from when I last saw him. The idea to just go over to him instead of waiting got more and more attractive. I mean, it was freezing outside, and if I wouldn't go I'd feel like I failed. And I didn't want to fail. So I took a deep breath and walked to the other side of the building. There were no lights at this place. It kinda reminded me of my past, but I tried to push it away. I was standing in front of the door now, and I raised my hand to knock. My hand was shaking like crazy. But before I could knock the door already openend. And there he was, a bit schocked of seeing me infront of him.

"Sharpay? What are you- I thought we..-'' He whispered stuttering, surprised, but still shocked.

I giggled slightly. "I know. I just thought you might have had forgotten, and I decided to just come over here." I felt my face turning red. Damn it.

He laughed. "How could I forget? There were just some things holding me up, and I was just about to go outside and..- Would you like to come in? It's freezing outside." He said and an amused smile appeared on his face.

I smiled back. "I'd love to. But.. is that ok with your management? I mean, what about Sandra?"

He shook his head. "Just forget about her. I told her to mind her own buisness." He looked at me.

I hesitated for a while. He seemed to notice that. "Really, it's fine." He said.

"Uh..Ok then.." I replied. He took a step aside and I walked in. I entered a full lighted room and for a minute I got blinded by the lights. When I finally was able to see again, I saw what the room was like. It looked just like a livingroom, only bigger. I could've expected this, but then why was I surprised? I mean, of course there was a room where he could go to just take a break and rest for a while. Nothing special about that. But being there now, together with him, made it look like something completely different.

I tried not to show how nervous I was. He closed the door behind me and I turned to him.

"S-so.." I started. I looked around, just to have something to do and to avoid his look.

"Not what you expected?" He asked.

"No.. I just, never realised this building had enough room." I replied. Oh my god. I felt so stupid. How come when I talked to him before, we talked like there were no boundaries, and now we were really alone and we had all the time of the world we had no idea how to begin with a conversation?!

He nodded, and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He felt uncomfortable too, I could tell. "Yeah, me neither.."

I sighed and looked at him. "Troy..-"

He interrupted me, but he tried to avoid my look. Like he was kind of shy. "You're wondering why I asked to see you again, huh?" It sounded more like a rhethorical question than it was supposed to be.

"Uhm.. Kinda.. But I'm glad you did." I replied. Then he looked back at me, right into my eyes. And I held my breath for a second. But I couldn't seem to turn away, didn't even want to..

"You are?" He asked.

"Uh.. yeah.." I stuttered. "I mean, I've had fun talking to you the past few times.."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? The first time we were arguing, the second time you were trying to convince me it was better if we didn't see each other. This evening was actually the first time we really talked." He said with a sarcastic tone.

"That doesn't mean that I didn't like talking to you." I said, still looking in his eyes. I sighed again. "Ok, I think there's something I need to tell you..-"

"No, wait.. Let me first. I need you to know something." He walked closer to me. I looked at him, wondering what he was about to tell me.

When he noticed I stayed quiet, he sighed. "Ok.. so, it's just that..-" He paused, trying to find the right words. "Ok, I'm just gonna say this.. I think I like you, Shar. And I know it sounds stupid, because we've only talked like four times, but it's true. I feel something for you and I don't know how this happened, but it did. And I don't want to block it out any longer.." He took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

I didn't know how to react. I mean, of course I was happy to know he liked me, and I liked him back. I really did. But I just.. didn't know how to handle it.. I wanted to tell him, but why did it seem so hard?

I bit my lip, and he noticed something was wrong. "Shar, you okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah.. It's just that.. Don't get me wrong, I like you too. But I don't know if we should do this."

"But.. why not?"

I looked down. "Think about it, what would happen if your management finds out? Or worse, if the press finds out? They'll be like all over you. Not to mention how they will be over me." I said and I looked back at him. "But, I really do like you.. And I don't know what it is, but everytime I'm not with you or near you feels.. lonely.." I sighed, kinda happy I said that. It's been stuck in my head for weeks and I was happy I finally told him how I felt.

"But then what's holding you?" He asked, and after hesitating he took my hand and played with my fingers. I smiled and didn't want him to let go.

"I don't know.." I admitted. "It's just that.. I can't trust people easily.. And it's so weird because I trusted you from the moment I spoke to you.. It's just confusing me.."

He laughed slightly. "You know, that's the thing. I'm just as confused about this as you are. You're so hard to figure out.. It confuses me. Because you always say something and do the complete opposite."

I laughed along with him, knowing he was right. "I know.. This whole thing is just.. confusing." I looked back at him and our eyes locked together again.

And then suddenly, he softly pressed his lips against mine. My heart skipped a beat, and I was shocked by the sudden movement. A mix of emotions filled my head, wait, why was I worrying about him kissing me at all? I was supposed to enjoy this, because even though I didn't want to admit, I really wanted him to kiss me. Or vice versa. And now it happened I was thinking about it too much. Ugh, I was hopeless. I smiled by my own stupid thought and kissed him back a bit deeper as I wrapped my arms around his neck.. Hell yeah, I was going to enjoy this!

*****

_*****_

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	7. Chapter 7

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 7.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

After a while I pulled away, but I couldn't resist to kiss him once again. I felt all warm inside and the adrenaline was running through my veins. I never expected this to happen, but I was glad it did. Now I was thinking of it, it was kinda weird. Who was the one who hated him from the moment he became famous? Exactly, that was me. And who was kissing him now? Again, me. I could barely believe myself. I thought of the night I ran outside after hearing his lyrics, the night I got mad at him.. This was such a big change.. And then suddenly I saw it happening again, a memory I had been pushing away for so long..

_"No.. Please.. I told you. I don't.. want to." She said while pushing her boyfriend away._

_"Baby, come on. There's nothing to be scared of.." He replied._

_She crossed her arms. "I'm.. not.. scared." she said with clenched jaws. _

_"Then what's the problem?" He asked as he walked closer to her. She took a step back, but hit the wall. She trapped herself._

_Her eyes got teary. "I'm not ready for it. Out of all the people I know I thought you'd be the one to understand." She said and her voice broke._

_"But sweety.." He said as he cupped her head between his hands. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. "You know I won't hurt you."_

_"I'm not afraid that you'll hurt me. I'm just not ready. If you love me, you'll wait. Instead of being pushy all the time." She said as she pushed his hands away._

_Suddenly he slapped her in her face. So hard it made her fall down onto the ground. She cried. He sat down next to her and put on a fake, so-called guilty smirk. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."_

_She cried. "Just get away from me.." _

_"What? But I can't leave you alone like this, can I?" He said and he started kissing her neck. His hands pulled up her shirt, trying to undress her. _

_Then she got the power to push him away, hard. He fell and she got up on her feet. Without looking back she ran away from him._

I pulled Troy away, harder than I meant, and I turned away and closed my eyes to stop the memory from coming back to me. Tears were streaming over my face, but I didn't make the effort to stop them.

I knew Troy was wondering why I did what I did. I felt his eyes searing on me. Worried. But I couldn't tell him. I couldn't tell anybody.

"Sharpay? Hey, what's wrong?" He asked worried as he lifted my chin up to look at me. I opened my eyes.

"I'm.. sorry. It isn't your fault.." I said and my voice broke. "I just.. need to calm down a bit.. Can you get me a glass of water?"

"I..- Sure.." He replied and he walked out of the room.

I inhaled deeply and sat down on the couch. I buried my head in my hands and felt like collapsing. Again. For weeks I found a way to block the memories out, but now they seemed to get back even clearer than before. I felt like screaming, but I didn't. Instead I kept breathing in and out deeply, and I slowly calmed down.

Troy came back with a class of water and he sat down next to me. "Here you go."

"Thanks.." I took the glass and took a sip.

*

**Troy's POV.**

I don't know what happened to her, but it didn't seem right. The way she pulled me away shocked me, I didn't know what I could've done wrong. But then I saw her, even more shocked than I was, and tears were welling up in her eyes. She looked like she was about to scream out loud. Something wasn't right, and I wanted to help her. But I didn't know how. I was worried sick about her, wondering what could've gone so wrong that made this happen.

We sat on the couch in silence, she took a sip of water every now and then. And it looked like she was calming down slowly. I wanted to ask what happened, but I couldn't. I knew she wouldn't tell me.. At least, not yet. So I just waited.

She sighed. "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to,. you know.. pull you away so hard." She smiled slightly.

"It's ok." I replied.

"I just.. Things have been happening in the past.. And ever since I heard your song it keeps me thinking about it." She said. I looked at her, patiently waiting for the rest of what she was going to say.

She swallowed. She clearly seemed to find it hard to tell me this. "I got a flashback.. And it was clearer than I ever had before, I just got scared by it and that's why I pulled you away.."

She looked away. "That's why I said I didn't want to come back. The other day. I didn't want to be haunted by my memories any longer. I didn't mean to blame you, but it's just.. Since I heard your song I started thinking about it again.. I thought I got over it.. Well, clearly not." She laughed slightly.

We stayed quiet for a while again. I was trying to remember which song I was doing when I saw her for the first time. I couldn't remember.. "Which song?" I eventually asked.

"Escape.." She looked back at me. "It's just.. I freaked out when I heard your lyrics. Because I realised it's exactly what I've been doing.. That's why I got upset the first time we met.. Your lyrics really got to me.."

She paused. "Especially that one sentence; _'You try to escape from yourself..-" _

_"Just to block it out.." _I finished the sentence. I smiled slightly at her.

She smiled back. "That's what I was doing. I've been trying to run from myself to forget about my past.. And now I'm realising I only made it worse for myself, because now it's even harder to forget.." She said.

A few tears rolled down her cheeks again. I wiped them away. "Shar, just so you know.. I'm here if you need anyone.." I whispered.

"I know.. And I've been thinking to go to therapy to talk to someone about it.. But I couldn't make myself."

"Why not?" I asked.

She stayed quiet for a moment. "Because I don't wanna feel like a freak who can't handle her own problems!" She said and she broke down in tears again.

"Hey..Shar.. Calm down. It's ok.." I rubbed her back.

"I just feel.. so stupid.. for not being able.. to move on from it!" She stuttered as she laid her head onto my shoulder.

"Shar, listen to me." I said while stroking her hair. "First of all, you're not stupid because of that, ok?" I continued, she laughed slightly. "And second, those people are there to help you. They're the last ones who'd call you a freak."

"I know.. But it just feels so.. stupid."

"It's stupid if you decide not to go and having those memories haunting you all your life. And I will have your back, remember that."

She swallowed again. "I just wished someone could come with me.. You, for instance.. But I know you can't.. The magazines would be gossiping about it for like a month if they'll find out."

I sighed. She was right. But on the other hand, I wanted to prove her I meant what I said. I don't know why, but I wanted her to know that I would support her, no matter what.

"Shar, if you really want me to come with you, then I'll go with you. If that makes it easier for you to go, then I'll be prepared to do it."

She looked up, upset, surprised, but confused too. "No, Troy.. I can't make you do that.." She said.

I looked into her eyes. "I insist. Really."

Suddenly a beautiful smile made her face brighten up. She pulled me in for a hug. "Oh my god, seriously, Troy. You're amazing. You know that?"

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

_Two days later.._

It was saturdayafternoon. Me and Taylor were at Gabriella's house for a sleepover, something we hadn't been doing in months. The last few weeks our lifes had been revolving around school and going to the concerts so much, that we barely had any time to spend together as friends. Which meant, it was time for a sleepover. Taylor got the newest issues of our favourite magazines and Gabriella took care of candy and chocolate. As usual, I took care of the music. So I brought our fave cd's, except for the ones Gabriella had aswell. I let them decide which one to put on, on purpose. I knew what they were going to choose and I didn't want them to get suspicious. So when they chose I just acted uninterested and like I couldn't care less about it anymore. Maybe it sounds stalkerish, listening to your boyfriends' (Could I call him my boyfriend now?) cd, when you last saw him two days ago. But I couldn't help it. I just needed to hear his voice and I knew that if he'd call me, Taylor and Gabriella would steal my phone before it could even ring. And then they'd see who it was and they'll kick me out and never want to be friends with me again. End of story. Done. Or maybe they would be so excited that they didn't believe it was really him and they'd answer the phone to find out

Anyhow, it was almost 21:00 pm and I was doing my nails. Gabriella sat behind me doing my hair and Taylor was just flipping through the pages of a magazine. She held her glass with cold icetea in her right hand and put her left indexfinger on the text she was reading, so she wouldn't have to search for the sentence that she was reading if she looked up or anything. She flipped the page and I could almost feel her shock.

"Oh.. My.. God!" She screamed out of nowhere. I accidently dropped the bottle of nailpolish and Gabriella accidently stung the hair pin to the back of my head.

"Ouch.. That hurt! " I yelled as I turned to Gabriella.

She just sat there with an embarrassed smile on her face. "Sorry.. It was Taylors' fault. If she hadn't been screaming out of nowhere she wouldn't have scared the hell out of me."

"Oh, and so you just decided to poke me with that thing?" I said laughing. Gabriella laughed along with me.

"Girls, you've got to hear this." Taylor said trying to get our attention.

"What?" I asked as I climbed off the bed to get the bottle of nailpolish. The silver substance was spilled all over the dark-red carpet. I looked at Gabriella with a guilty look. "Uhm.. Gabby? I'm sorry about the carpet.."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll fix it." She replied. "Now what were you saying, Tay?"

"Hear this." Taylor said as she cleared her throat. "Teenage heartthrob and popsinger Troy Bolton always claimed to be single. Or so it seems.."

I choked in the piece of chocolate that I just put in my mouth. Oh god, what was I going to do!? I inhaled deeply, don't show it, Sharpay. Act like you don't care.

Taylor looked at me for a second, and then back to her magazine. "This thursdayevening witnesses tell us they've seen Bolton letting a young women in after his show. Earlier, he's been caught talking to a women that same evening. We think there's definitely something going on there, and if we find out more, you'll be the first one to know."

I don't know how I looked, but it must've been something between shocked and horrified. I couldn't believe they've seen us. When I looked around no one seemed to be watching us. Of course, I knew there would be rumors coming up, but not this soon already. I swallowed and looked at Taylor and Gabriella. They were sharing looks with eachother, wait, did I see disappointment?

"Come on, you don't really believe that, do you?" I said, but my voice was shaking. "I mean, come on. That magazine has been wrong so many times, why would it be different this time?"

Taylor looked at me. "Because they posted pictures."

I swallowed. "The-they did?" I asked and I grabbed the magazing from Taylor. And there they were, pictures of me and Troy sitting against the wall, talking. Having fun. That evening when he asked me to come back again. And the next shot, when he let me into the building. That same night when he kissed me. The same night when he listened and how I told him about the memories that kept coming back. It didn't seem real. It couldn't be real.. The person who sent those photos was pathetic, and jealous.. But it could've been worse, you couldn't see it was me. You didn't recognize me. But still, I knew it was me, and that made me feel so weird. And I was sure, the next time I'd see him, íf I'd ever see him after today.. There would be tons of paparazzi around. There was no way I could spend some alone time with him ever again. And that made me feel desperate..

***

_**A/N;**_

_***Sigh* Can Troy get any sweeter? ^^ I wish I knew a guy like that! lol.**_

_**IT TAKES HOURS TO MAKE A STORY, YET SECONDS TO REVIEW!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 8.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**Troy's POV. **

"Troy, can you tell me what the hell this is all about!?" Sandra asked as she threw a magazine on the table in front of me. I didn't even have to look at it to know what it was about. I rubbed over my eyes, trying to think clear. My head was pounding and it seemed to get heavier with every second. I had seen it everywhere. Every magazine was talking about it. I couldn't seem to avoid it. And I knew Sandra was going to ask me about it as soon as she found out. And she did.

I sighed. "Look for yourself. I think the magazine explained clear enough." I said. I wished she'd just leave. I knew this was going to happen, of course. But I didn't want it to happen this soon. And most of all, I felt bad for Sharpay. How would she had felt after reading this?!

"Is this true!?" She asked. But she already knew the answer. I gave her the answer a long time ago already.

"Do you really have to ask!?" I said. I didn't even want to héár her answer. I just wanted to go over to Sharpay and tell her I was sorry. But I knew that now this came out it would get even harder to meet her again.

Sandra screamed out of frustration. "Haven't I told you!? This could ruin your career! Think of all your fans..-"

"If they are really my fans, they'll be happy for me." I interrupted her.

I swallowed hard, trying to control my anger towards my manager. "And you're not the one to decide what I'm doing in my private life. Who knows; Maybe I have like three girlfriends in several countries! Not that I have, but even if I had, you wouldn't be the one to tell me what to do about it!"

Sandra looked furious. "Troy, that girl isn't good for you! And you know it aswell!"

I looked at her. "Not good for me or not good for yóúr career?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. She shot me a death-stare, trying to warn me she was getting sick of it. But I knew I was right. She only tried to protect herself.

She grabbed the magazine and looked at me with an angry look upon her face. "Seriously, Troy. This will ruin your life and you're about to find it out." She said frustrated. Then she turned away from me and walked out.

I grabbed for my phone and searched through my contacts list. When I found her number I hesitated about calling. I decided not to call her yet, she'd be with her friends this weekend and the chance they would overhear anything was pretty big. So I laid my phone on the table and grabbed for my guitar. I played a few chords and tried to write a new song yet again..

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

I hadn't spoke to him in days, and I was slowly turning depressed. I played his song, -my song- , over and over again, just to hear his voice. To put hope out of it. Hope that maybe it'll just fade away and everyone would forget about it. Hope that there was a chance for us to be 'us' again. As much as I tried to deny it, I missed him. There was no concert planned for the next few days and he didn't take the effort to call me. I know I should've called him, but I was too scared someone would overhear me. Like the paparazzi would be standing next to my window as soon as I pressed the 'call' button. I was afraid he would've told his management and I could tell, his manager wouldn't be happy with me. I saw the way she looked at me when she caught me and Troy talking with each other. And she didn't like me, not at all. Maybe she was just afraid that I would steal her superstar from her. Like I would ever stand between him and his career. I knew how important it was for him, and as much as I didn't like it, I knew how important it was to stay away from him for a while. At least, until the rumors would wear off. And of course I was afraid for Gabriella and Taylor, they hadn't been letting it go and it drove me crazy. It was so hard to keep it from them, but I knew I was doing the best thing.. If they would find out, I'd be dead. Literally. They wouldn't want to be friends with me again.. Or they'd want me to introduce him and stuff. It's not that I didn't trust them, but I was afraid that they'd accidently tell someone and it would get out. And I didn't think I could handle that. Not now. Not now everything was hard already. I hated the memories, but I slowly started to allow them to come back to me. I realised that maybe I had to relive them again to move on.. Even if it was the hardest thing to do. But I couldn't do it alone,.. I needed him.. More than anything else. I didn't want Gabriella and Taylor to come around, I just wanted him to be with me so he could hold me, and tell me everything was going to be alright..

It was 2:30 am, I was lying in my bed, trying to fall asleep. But I couldn't seem to block the memories out. I had my iPod on, the volume low. The lights turned off. I could look through the window from where I laid, and I was just staring at the deepblue sky, a few stars glinstened bright across the sky and a few clouds darkened the room every now and then. I tried to think of nothing, just deleting every thought from my mind. Something which seemed impossible to do since there were too many thoughts to delete. My phone laid on my dresser, and for some odd reason, I didn't turn it off like I always used to do. Like I was hoping for something to happen. Whatever that must've been. I closed my eyes, I was tired. Tired of the memories and thoughts, but not tired enough to fall asleep. I sighed as I sat up and took a sip from a glass of water. My hands were shaking. My throat felt sore and dry. My eyes were swollen and red because I cried so much. Every inch of my body hurt, exhausted by everything that had been happening.

Then suddenly my phone brightened up, and it started vibrating. Startled as I was I looked at my dresser and picked my phone up. My heart skipped a beat when I looked at the display, and saw the caller ID. I put the glass of water down and quickly swallowed the water that I just sipped into my mouth. I inhaled deep and then answered my phone.

"Hey.." I said, it came out as a whisper. An exhausted whisper, though.

"Hey. Did I wake you up?" He replied with a soft voice.

"Not really. And if you did I wouldn't mind.." A small smile played across my lips.

He stayed quiet for a while. "How are you doing?"

I sighed. "Miserable. But it's coping. How about you?" I asked. I couldn't believe he really called me. Suddenly, I didn't feel tired anymore. Not at all.

It took a while before he answered. "I'm.. fine. Just stressed out from everything that's been happening."

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about. The rumors, huh?"

"Mostly, yeah. But Sandra isn't really collaborating either." He said, and I thought I heard a slight spur of anger in his voice.

I wasn't surprised. "Really? How so?"

"Oh, she's just been telling me how this would ruin my career, like over, and over, and over again." He laughed slightly. "But I didn't listen to her."

I swallowed, barely able to keep my tears from falling. It felt so good to hear his voice, other than from a recorded song. Good to hear the réál him.

He noticed something wasn't right. I kept quiet for too long. "Shar, you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah.. I'm.- I'm fine." I replied. But I knew he wouldn't believe me. My voice broke and I felt upset. And I was sure he heard that in my voice.

I took a deep breath. "Actually, Troy.. I'm not okay.. I hate how those rumors came up and I hate how I can't see you anymore. I miss you."

And, like I expected, he came up with the comforting words I was longing to hear. "Shar, I miss you too. But don't mind the rumors. They'll forget about it soon enough. Trust me, it's gonna be ok."

"How?" I asked and I wiped away a lonely tear, that somehow escaped from the corner of my eye. I sobbed quietly, trying not to let him notice.

"We'll figure something out.. And I'm sure that..-Shar, are you crying?" He sounded worried.

"No, of course not.. I'm just..-" I inhaled deeply. "Ok..Yes, I am.."

"I'm coming over to you, right now.." He suddenly said and I heard him getting up on his feet.

"Wh-what?" I was shocked, and afraid. But surprised too. The idea that he would be coming over to me right now was kinda exciting. I smiled slightly.

"Just tell me where you live and I'll be there in a few minutes." He opened a door. He sounded pretty sure.

"But what if.. They find out?" I asked, still afraid of people standing outside my house.

"They won't. I took the back door and I don't think the paparazzi would stay up this late, they won't expect me to leave the house at this time. So it's the perfect oppertunity to see each other again." He said confidently. I heard he was walking over a path, a gritpath, most likely.

The way he was said it made me feel better. He sounded so confident and down-to-earth about this whole paparazzi thing. He made it seem like it wasn't risky at all. Like there wasn't a chance of being caught by anyone. I felt a new kind of excitement. Doing something no one knew about. And besides, I couldn't sleep after all. I felt the adrenaline running through my veins when I gave him my adress, and then I hung up.

**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 9.  
***

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

*****

**Troy's POV. **

I quickly walked down the streets. I looked down and buried my hands in the pockets of my hoodie. It was freezing outside. A hard december wind made my teeth chatter and my skin felt raw. But I didn't hesitate about going by car or anything. That'd make too much noise at this time, and I would be there faster by foot. I took a few shortcuts and walked down a street what must've been hers. I never knew she lived this close to me, and I guess that neither did she.

Her house was built in old Victorian style, probably around the late 1800. There was no car parked on the driveway, which meant either she had no car, or she still lived with her parents and they weren't home. Or they just didn't have a car at all.

I stepped on to the porch and headed to the white-painted oaken door, when my phone zoomed. It was her.

"Hey Shar." I answered with a low voice.

"Hey, are you here yet?" She asked. I didn't know how to interpret the tone in her voice. She didn't sound impatient, but just curious to know. Maybe I just imagined, but I thought I heard a spur of excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm at your frontdoor." I said.

She stayed quiet for a few seconds. "Would you mind taking another way inside? If you walk to your left and then around the corner, you'll see a balcony."

I followed her instructions and there was a balcony like she said.

"Ok, I'm there. And now?" I asked smiling, wondering what she was up to.

"There's an Ivy on the left side of the balcony. You can use that to get to the balcony." She said, she sounded serious.

"What? No way." I said, afraid the branches would break.

Sharpay laughed, noticing the fear in my voice. "Don't worry, I climbed up and down the Ivy many times before and it never went wrong."

"Well, this is gonna be the first time then." I said nerviously. But I hung up and carefully grabbed the branches though. I slowly lifted my feet off the ground and pulled myself up. And as she said, it went pretty easy. I climbed over the low fence and caught my breath. It wasn't that bad.. Then the balcony door opened and Sharpay came out, with a huge smile upon her face.

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

I couldn't believe he seriously did what I asked him to. Ok, so it was a shortcut, and maybe I was just too lazy to go downstairs, but I didn't think he'd climb onto my balcony like that. It was kinda.. romantic. Maybe I've read Romeo and Juliet too many times, but it felt like that now he was standing on my balcony. Like some kind of forbidden love that no one could know of. And that idea was amazing. I can't tell why.

After I slid the balcony door open and saw him climbing over the fence a huge smile played across my lips, and I wasn't ashamed to show it. I couldn't believe that I saw him again, after we didn't have contact for two weeks. Those weeks seemed like years. I giggled slightly when he almost lost his balance, but he got up on his feet again and looked up at me. His deepblue eyes locked together with mine and he smiled back at me.

"See? It wasn't that bad." I said.

"Not that bad, no. But I'll never do that again." He replied half-smiling.

I pulled a sad face, pretending to be disappointed. "Never? Not even if I asked you to?" I took a step closer to him and looked at him with a puppy look on my face.

He hesitated, not realising I was just kidding. "Maybe I would.." He said absent-mindedly as he played with my hair.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked at me like I dragged him out of his thoughts. Maybe I did.

He shook his head, falling back into reality. "Nothing. Just happy to finally be here. The past two weeks been crazy.."

I sighed. "Tell me about it. My friends wouldn't stop talking about the rumors. They drove me crazy. I've been playing my music non-stop to get away from it."

I looked down and took his hand. His fingers immediately intertwined with mine. I smiled.

He gently leaned his forehead against mine. "Yeah.. People kept telling me about it too.. I'm sorry, this shouldn't be happening to you." He said, he felt guilty.

I raised my head and looked at him. Our heads were so close I could almost feel his breath on my skin. A slight shiver went up through my spine.

I was angry at him for blaming himself. I could've just walked away, but instead I decided to ask him to sit next to me, and wasn't I the one who came back the other night?

"Troy, stop blaming yourself. It's my fault too. If I just walked away nothing would've happened."

"I'm glad you didn't walk away." He whispered.

I bit my lip. I felt the stupid tears coming up again. Emotinal wreck that I was. I swallowed them back.

I whispered back. "I think I am glad too."

And then, without any warning, he kissed me. The first kiss since the rumors. I got all warm inside and the world could've crashed around us, but I wouldn't have noticed. So like the first time I wrapped my arms around his neck, sure to keep the memory from my mind this time. At least, I would try my hardest for it to stay out of my mind. I smiled against the kiss and kissed him deeper. And then, before I knew it, we pulled away from eachother to catch our breath. Too soon. So we kissed a little more. A few minutues ago I was so cold that I could've turned into ice, but not anymore. Every time my lips touched his a new burst of adrenaline ran through my veins. And it felt amazing. I slowly ran my hands through his hair, trying to remember every little thing, every little touch, every little movement. Hoping to never let go.

Standing here with him made me feel like we didn't have to worry about anything. Like everything would work out. But I knew that, as soon as we would pull away and our minds got clearer again, it wasn't. It would never work out. But for now I tried pushing that thought away, trying to enjoy the moment. And then, just as fast as it started, it ended. He pulled away, but how I wished he didn't. He flashed a gorgeous smile at me. A sudden shiver went up through my spine. I didn't know if it was from the cold or from his smile. I'm sure he thought about the first option, because he pulled me closer to warm me up. The sweetest gesture ever. And then my teeth started to chatter, which confirmed my first thought. I was just cold. But I was sure his smile brought me off the track for a few seconds, too. Maybe it was just because of both. No one had ever been this sweet to me, and it made me feel special that he chose mé over all those other girls. I cuddled up to him and we just stood there. None of us said anything, we were just enjoying the moment. And I knew he wanted this moment to last forever just as much as I did.

*

After a while I got so cold that even he couldn't warm me up any longer. So I took his hand and dragged him inside. I shivered as I walked into my room, feeling the sudden heath on my skin. He closed the door behind him and I sat down on my bed, my arms wrapped around me against the cold. It didn't seem to help. I grabbed for my blanket and wrapped it around my body. My teeth were still chattering, making a soft noise. The only noise in the room. Troy looked out of the window for a while, probably just checking for paparazzi. Like he would see any at this time. Then he turned around and walked up to me. He sat down next to me and looked at me with a smile I couldn't interpret.

"What?" I asked as I tried not to let my voice shake.

He shook his head. "Nothing. You look cute when you're cold."

I gave him a look. "Well, thanks. I guess." I said with raised eyebrows. That was the weirdest compliment someone ever gave me. But the cutest too.

"Aren't you cold then?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I can handle it."

I grabbed for his hand. It was freezing cold. "Damn, Troy. Stop lying. Your hand is ice cold." I cuddled up to him and wrapped the blanket over him aswell. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me a bit closer. I laid my head onto his shoulder.

Then we were silent again. I stared in the distance, allowing my thoughts to run through my head. But the memories stayed away for some odd reason.

"So Sandra wasn't happy with me?" I asked, suddenly curious to know.

Troy sighed, clearly not wanting to talk about his manager. But he answered my question though.

"Not specifically you, she's just afraid."

"Of what?"

"I don't know. Maybe she thinks I'll do something something stupid.."

"Or maybe she's afraid to lose you as popstar." I said, speaking my mind. It had been something that bothered me since the moment it came up in my mind.

He looked at me. And I knew he saw it in my face. "What? Come on, Shar. You shouldn't blame yourself for this."

"Shouldn't I? I mean, I'm afraid that you'll get too much into this and forget about your career." I swallowed.

"Shar, trust me, if that happens, then it isn't your fault. Not at all. Ok?"

I nodded, not convinced. But he seemed satisfied. Suddenly I felt how tired I was again. I looked at the clock, it was almost 3:30 AM. I didn't want him to leave. I jawned.

Troy laughed slightly as he stroked my hair. "You should get some sleep."

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to. I don't want you to leave..Not this soon.." I said. But I felt my eyes were ready to give in. I tried my hardest to stay awake. There was no way I was going to fall asleep and let this moment with him slip away.

He saw how tired I was. So without answering he laid me down on the bed. I wanted to struggle, but there was no point. A few seconds later I was lying in my bed again. He sat down next to me and gently stroked my hair. I smiled, a bit confused if I was dreaming or not. I was somewhere between falling asleep and being awake. I closed my eyes, even though I didn't want to. But I still tried not to fall asleep. Not yet..

Then he kissed my forehead, so carefully that I wondered if he really kissed me, and he laid down next to me. His arms were still holding me, and I didn't want him to let go. He didn't say a word, but that was ok.

And then? Well, I guess I fell asleep at that point, because I can't remember what happened next..

**

_**A/N; It takes hours to make a story, yet seconds to review!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 10.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**Troy's POV. **

I woke up completely disorientated. I had no idea where I was, until I saw her next to me, still sleeping. I sighed deeply, annoyed with myself. How could I be so stupid to fall asleep!? I looked out of the window, the sun didn't come up yet. The room was still dark. After I glanced at the clock I knew it was almost 6:00 AM. Suddenly I realised what it meant if I just walked out like that. They would find out. Angry at myself I looked at Sharpay. She looked so peaceful right now. I didn't want to wake her up yet, it wasn't her fault and I didn't want to freak her out again. But I knew I had to. She was involved in this just as much as I was. No matter how I tried to deny that. She'd lose her privacy if it'd come out, and I couldn't do that do her. Didn't want to. But there was no other option..

So I slowly tried to wake her up. It took a while before she opened her eyes, but a small smile appeared on her face when she saw me. So I smiled back.

"You.. you stayed." She said as she stretched her arms and sat up.

I nodded. "I.. fell asleep. Just like you."

"Oh.." She sounded disappointed. I knew she was hoping to hear that I decided to stay with her after all. But I couldn't help it that I just fell asleep like that. And I stayed with her like she asked, just not the way she wanted me to.

She looked at the clock. Then she turned back at me, a bit of a shocked look upon her face. I knew she was thinking the same as me.

"Oh god.." She mumbled. "How are we.. How can we get you out of here..?"

"I don't know. I mean, maybe they didn't find out yet.. Maybe I can just leave without getting noticed."

She gave me a sceptical look. "You really think so?"

I stayed quiet for a while and then sighed. "No. Not really."

And then I suddenly realised what day it was. I buried my head in my hands. "Damn it."

"What?"

"I have to sign the contracts today." I looked up and glanced at the clock again. "And I have to be there in.. 2 hours."

"Then what are we waiting for!? We've got to figure something out." Sharpay replied as climbed off of the bed. She was still wearing her PJ's.

"Just give me ten minutes to get changed and stuff." She said as she gathered her stuff. I nodded. Then she left the room.

*

About ten minutes later she came back, wearing a deepblue jeans with a simple turtleneck sweater above. She sat down on the bed again and started putting on her shoes; black heeled ankle boots. The same she was wearing the second time we met. She noticed I was looking at her and giggled. "What are you looking at?"

"Just you. You look great." I replied.

She smiled. "Thanks. Now come on." She stood up and almost dragged me out of the room.

I laughed. "Wow, easy on me."

"Don't worry, I won't break you." She said as she quickly walked down the stairs. I followed her.

She walked further to a small room, the livingroom most likely. She saw me looking around the room. "I know it's not what you're used to, but this is how I live and I'm fine with it."

I looked at her. "My life isn't thát luxury as you think it is." I said, but it came out the wrong way. It sounded selfish.

"Isn't it?" She said, not noticing the tone in my voice. "I mean, I always thought celebs lived in huge houses with a swimmingpool in the backyard, all the latest furniture and gadgets and stuff."

She walked over to the kitchen, and I followed her.

I shook my head, laughing. "Wrong. I live only a couple blocks away. My house has the same style and stuff."

Then she turned around to me, with a look I couldn't really interpret. "Wow, really?"

"Yeah.. Why? Did you expect something else?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just thought you'd be the kind of person to live in such a huge house."

"I guess that shows how little we actually know about eachother.." I said.

She looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way.."

"What? There's nothing to be sorry for." I took a step closer to her.

"No, but you're right. We don't know that much about each other.." She looked down a bit sad.

I lifted her chin up. "Shar, there's plenty of time for that. Don't worry about it."

She smiled. "I'll try.." She said as she looked over my shoulder, out of the window. Then she suddenly pulled me back into the livingroom.

"What's wrong?" I asked, kinda shocked.

"They're here." She looked scared. She walked past me and closed the door to the kitchen

I didn't have to ask who she meant by 'them'. "What? How do you know?"

"There was one of them, standing by the window. Not that long yet. He must've just got to the window."

I swallowed and leaned my head backwards. I was annoyed that they found me.. Again.. Why couldn't they just let me live my life instead of following me around all day long?! Like my private life was that important..

Sharpay felt sorry for me, I could tell. She reached out for me and pulled me into a hug. She realised what this would mean to her just as much as I did.

After a while she pulled away. "I'm gonna check how many of them are outside." She said as she walked to the window and slightly opened the curtain. I could almost feel her shock as she sighed.

"So this is how it feels to be awaited by paparazzi every morning.." She mumbled as she closed the curtain and walked back to me. "They're with 13 people or something like that. And they don't take the effort to hide."

I sat down on the couch and buried my head in my hands. "How can I get past them without getting noticed?! They'll be at every door and every window so if I get out they'll notice anyways."

Sharpay sat down next to me and took my hands. I looked at her.

Suddenly her face brightnend up. "I think I've got an idea to get you out of here." She said, she sounded sure.

**Sharpay's POV.**

Ok, so it was the craziest plan I've ever made up, and the chance it would work was as small as the chance to get past the paparazzi without getting noticed. But we could try.

I took Troy back upstairs, to my brothers' bedroom. He still didn't have a clue.

"Shar, what are you..-" He started, but I cut him off.

"I'm not sure if it works, but we've gotta try." I said as I opened the door of the wardrobe and started throwing clothes out of it. I felt Troy was looking at me, probably confused and wondering what I was up to. But I'd tell him.

I turned around. "Ok.. Try this on.." I gave him some clothes. "And this.. And this."

He took it from me with a weird look on his face. "Sharpay, first tell me what you're up to."

I sighed. "I was thinking.. Ok, maybe it doesn't make sense, and I'm sure it sounds really stupid.. but I thought, maybe I could dress you up like my brother, I mean, he always wears stuff I couldn't even recognize him in if he'd walk past me in town. So I was thinking, maybe if I'd do the same to you.. They won't notice." I looked at him, realising how insane my idea sounded. "Ok, forget about it, it won't work."

I sat down on the bed, frustrated. I bit my lip. It was all my fault, if I hadn't asked him to stay with me, this wouldn't have happened.

He saw how annoyed I was with myself. So he sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I don't think it sounds that stupid." He whispered.

"But it does. I mean, what was I thinking? Letting you put on other clothes won't make you unnoticeable."

"No.. But if you say you don't even recognize your own brother when he's looking like this.. Then why would the paparazzi notice me?"

I glanced at him. Did he really think my idea was góód? I took a deep breath. "Because they've somehow got a clue about where you're at. If I walk out of my house with you looking like my brother, won't they get suspicious?"

"Shar, just forget about that. We're just going to try this and we'll see if it works out or not. And if it doesn't.. Well, then at least we tried, right?"

I gave him a small smile. It sounded so easy the way he said it. And I wanted to believe him so badly.. So maybe I just had to..

*  
_**A/N;**_

_**It takes hours to make a story, yet seconds to review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 11.  
**

_**Note; I'm sure you all know by now, but.. English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2: You noticed I finally used some real HSM characters besides Troypay, Gabriella&Taylor? ^^  
**_

**Sharpay's POV.**

I giggled as I saw Troy wearing my brother's clothes. It looked weird, and funny. But it wasn't gonna get better than this and we had to try our hardest to make it work. Troy looked at himself in the mirror and tried keeping the pants at the right height, but they were too big. I laughed as he failed and his pants slid down his legs like that. He looked kind of embarrassed but laughed along with me. As weird as it may sound, at this moment I enjoyed being together with him. (Not that I didn't enjoy every other moment I spend with him) Even though we were freaked out because of the paparazzi, this moment felt like 'our' moment. We were just trying to look on the brightside and make a joke out of it. I mean come on, helping a celebrity leaving a house by dressing him up like your brother? You've got to admit, it's hilarious.

Troy pulled his pants up again, and I walked over to him. "Maybe I can tighten that belt somehow." I said as I took his belt from him and went downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed for a knife and made an extra hole in the belt. Hopefully it would stay at its place this time, otherwise he would go off in front of the whole world. I giggled by the thought as I walked upstairs. I walked into the room and glanced at the clock; 6:45 already.

"Here. Hopefully it'll stay in place now." I gave him the belt and he tried it again. Luckily it worked.

"Seriously, I've never felt so stupid in my entire life." He said as he looked into the mirror. He laughed at his reflection. "I look like some gangster."

I laughed as I stood next to him. I laid my hands on his shoulder and looked at him critically. "A cute gangster though."

He turned to look at me. "Thanks. At least someone likes my new look." He smiled at me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me.

I kissed back, but quickly pulled away. Not that I didn't want him to kiss me, but because I didn't want the emotions to take control over me and let me cry. Because I knew I would if I didn't pull away. I freed myself and smiled at him.

"There's only one thing missing.." I said as I looked around the room. Some old cap caught my eye. "Perfect." I mumbed as I grabbed it and put it on Troys' head. I bursted out in laughing when I saw him.

He looked back at his reflection. "Oh, yeah, that was exactly what I was missing." He said sarcasticly.

*

Not many minutes later we were ready to go outside. We were standing in the hall and I suddenly felt nervous. I was about to face the paparazzi for the first time of my life. And I had to pretend like I was talking to my brother, but everytime I looked at Troy I almost cracked up. He looked too funny. So I made a picture with my phone, as reminder, and then giggled. "What? You're cute like this!" I said when he gave me a look.

He rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed. But I knew he wasn't.

I took a deep breath. "Ok, ready?"

He nodded.

I reached out for the door, when he stopped me. I turned to him, and he kissed me one last time. It felt like some kind of ending, and that made me sad. I didn't want him to leave. I wanted him to stay with me forever.. How possesive that might sound..

But I knew we couldn't put this moment off any longer. I kissed him a bit deeper and just let the emotions come over me this time. And without warning I felt tears running over my cheeks. I felt stupid for crying. Stupid for even allowing myself to. I pulled away.

He saw me crying and wiped my tears away.

"I'm.. sorry. I'm just an emotional wreck." I said, half-laughing at my own stupid joke.

Surprisingly he laughed slightly. "It's ok.."

I took a deep breath and waited till I calmed down. "Ok.. I'm ready to go."

He stroked my hair. "You sure?"

I smiled at him. "I'm sure." I said and I opened the door. A couple of flashes blinded me for a few seconds. Ugh, those stupid paparazzi. I walked outside, ready to start with my act.

"Damn it, Ryan, hurry! You can't be late agáín. Don't you remember how miss Darbus reacted last time!?" I screamed as I dragged 'Ryan' outside. I shut the door and locked it. He looked down, trying not to get noticed. I started walking, and I knew he walked with me. I looked at the paparazzi from the corner of my eye, and it looked like it worked. They stopped taking pictures and looked at me with a weird look. They were surprised too.

I tried to pretend like he really was my brother. "Can't you walk a little faster for once?! If you go on like this we'll be there by Christmas!" I stopped walking and looked at him, trying to act angry. Troy was doing good and he seemed pretty comfortable with his role. As we discussed, he was playing around with my iPod a bit, he put the earphones in his ear and tried not to pay attention to me, like my brother always did. He walked so slow a snail would've been faster, just like my brother. I freed an annoyed sigh and walked over to him.

Then I grabbed his arm and pulled him with me. "Damn it, COLLABORATE for God's sake!" I yelled at him as I tried to keep my voice normal. I could barely hold my laugh, and so did he.

We walked over the path to the garage, and Troy kept playing his role very well. Sometimes he suddenly stood still and tried to get out of my grip to walk back inside. But I didn't let him. I opened the door to the garage and walked in.

"Sit." I commanded him as I pointed at the passenger seat of my car. He trudged to the car and got in, still looking down and trying not to pay attention. I got in my car aswell. I started the engine and drove away.

I couldn't believe we really did it.

**Troy's POV.**

I looked at the paparazzi as we drove past them, seeing the surprised looks on their face was great. I knew they were sure to see me coming out of the house, and I guess we played our roles pretty good since they didn't run after us to take pictures. They didn't even seem to notice me. I laughed as Sharpay turned around a corner.

"We just did it!" I exclaimed happily.

Sharpay laughed along with me. "Damn, you know how hard it was for me not to crack up!"

I laughed even more. "Do you know how hard it was for mé? It was hilarious to see how you were screaming at me like crazy. Seriously, do you always treat your brother that way?"

Sharpay nodded. "Uh.. Yeah.. kinda. But seriously, he deserves it. The way I asked you to act, that's his usual attitude."

"I'm glad you're not like that then." I said as I looked at Sharpay.

She chuckled. "Me too."

I gave her the adress and then we were quiet again. But it didn't bother me.

"You know.." Sharpay started.

I gave her a curious look.

"I was just.. thinking.. When do we see each other again?" She asked as she quickly looked into my eyes. She tried to hide it, but I knew she was upset.

Then she looked back at the road again.

I looked down and sighed. "I don't know.. There's a concert planned for next week.."

"Yeah, but they'll be standing outside so I can't get to you.." She said, and I knew she was right.

As much as I hated to tell her this, I had no other choice. "Maybe we just have to wait for the right moment.. Again.." I said, and I swallowed.

She bit her lip, hurt. And I could totally understand that. I knew she didn't want to hear that. And I wished I didn't have to say it..

Then she nodded slowly. "Yeah.. Maybe that's the best.." She agreed with me.

"I'm sorry.." I whispered. "I wished we could just see each other whenever we want to, but..-"

"I know.. We just can't.'' She finished my sentence. "Don't worry, Troy. It's ok.. It's just something I have to deal with if I want to be together with you."

"I really wished it wouldn't have to be that way.." I said.

She smiled a small smile. ''It's not your fault.. We'll get through this."

She turned another corner and then stopped her car in front of a building. The recording studio. "Here we are."

"Thanks for everything.. You know, helping me with the paparazzi and stuff." I said and it sounded cheap. But I meant it. I really appreciated that she took so much effort to keep it secret. Some girls would've screamed it out loud to everyone who wanted to hear. I was glad Sharpay wasn't like that. I looked at her, and a sudden sadness overwhelmed me. She looked so fragile, so vulnerable. Like she could collapse any moment. Maybe the memories came back to her again, or maybe she just didn't want to say goodbye yet. And I wanted to comfort her.. But I didn't know how.

"It's alright. That's the least I can do." She answered as she grabbed for something behind her seat. "Here's your stuff, I don't think your new label will appreciate the way you look right now."

I laughed and took the bag with my clothes. "You're amazing." I said and I quickly kissed her cheek. "I really hope we can see each other again soon.."

"Me too.." She sighed. "Maybe you can call me soon?" She looked hopeful.

"I will." I replied. Then I opened the door and got out of the car. She smiled again, a more genuine one this time. I smiled back at her.

"See you soon." I said, then I closed the door and headed to the frontdoor of the building. I heard the car pull up and then she drove away. I turned around one more time, but I saw the car turning around a corner and then she was out of sight..

_**  
A/N; A bit of a sad, yet funny episode, huh? It was one of my faves so far. Let me know what you think in a review! As we all know; It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to submit a review!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 12.  
**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; This chapter actually has a moment from Sandra's POV. You must hate her after everything she did to Troypay (I'm the author of this story and even Í hate her, lol), but she's going to be a very important character later on. **_

**  
Sandra's POV.**

"Then you just have to try harder!'' I said in the phone angrily. I was walking up and down the room, waiting for Troy to arrive. I swear, if he didn't come up soon I'd kill him. I put so much effort in to making the appointment, and I would do something to him if he'd let me down.

"I don't care if it's infringement of her privacy! Just make sure I get that information!'' I sighed as I listened to the person on the other end of the line.

"Because it's important for me to know, and you better get that information or I'll fire you!" I yelled in the phone and then I hung up frustrated. I sat down and rubbed over my forehead, trying to get rid of the heavy pounding in my head.

Then the door opened and Troy walked in.

"There you are! Where the hell have you been and..-- What the hell are you wearing!?" I said as I looked at him, not trying to hide my annoyance.

''I just left too late and I wasn't planning on keeping this stuff on, ok? Just give me a few minutes." He replied as he headed to the bathrooms.

"Wait, where do you think you're going?" I asked.

''Getting changed. Or do you want me to show up in this?" Troy pointed at his clothes.

I sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Things haven't really been getting along today. We'll talk about it later."

He nodded and then went into the bathrooms to get changed.

***  
Sharpay's POV.**

Still with my head up high I drove to school. I felt pretty good, even though I knew I wouldn't see him for a couple of days.. Maybe weeks.. But I tried to push that thought away. He would call me, we had the most amazing morning together and not seeing him that much was part of being together with someone like him. I wanted to accept that. And I would do anything to accept it. And for some reason the memories stayed away the whole night. It was like, the opposite of what had been happening before. Evertime I saw him the memories got back to me, and now, a few weeks later, I seemed to forget about the memories when I was around him. Well, not completely of course, but it was a start. And I would make an appointment with a therapist.. Soon.. When the rumors had worn off a bit. But I would do it. And he would come with me, no matter what people would say.

I parked and got out of the car. I saw Taylor and Gabriella coming out of the schoolbus, so I walked over to them.

"Hey girls." I said when I reached them.

Taylor looked up, she looked kind of.. I don't know.. upset. "Oh.. Hey.."

"What's wrong?"

Taylor shared a glance with Gabriella. "She acts like she doesn't know.."

"Like I don't know what?" I asked confused.

"Oh, don't pretend. It's been all over the news." Gabriella said.

"What has been all over the news?" I didn't understand anything they said.

"I don't know.. The pictures maybe? Why haven't you just told us?"

I shook my head, really having no idea what they were talking about. "What pictures? And what is it that I haven't told you about?"

"Sharpay, stop pretending!" Taylor exclaimed.

"I'm not pretending! I really have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" I got angry, but tried to control it.

"Oh, come on! You are sneaking around with one of the most popular guys on this earth and you don't know what we're talking about?!" Gabriella looked at me, angry.

I looked back at her, shocked. They knew it. They found out about it. I didn't know how, but they did.

"I..- I really don't know..-" I started, but Taylor cut me off.

"You know what.. Don't. I don't even wanna know. I thought we were friends, Shar."

"We áre friends."

"Really? Then why haven't you told us?"

I stayed quiet for a while. I opened my mouth to say something, but Taylor sighed deeply and cut me off again. "Just save it, Sharpay. We won't believe you anyways.." She said and she walked away with Gabriella.

My good mood was gone like that. How did they find out? And what pictures were they talking about? I felt how tears were burning in my eyes, but I tried to ignore it. I felt nauseous and sick. I swallowed and tried not to pay attention to the staring people. I was confused. The paparazzi didn't take a picture when I dragged him out of my house, but then why did everyone know about it?! I heard people around me whispering, but I pretended not to hear. I took a deep breath, there was no other option than to just go inside and act like I didn't hear anything. Or I would go home, but I was sure rumors would really start to come up if I did. I decided to at least try it. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad. I mean, it couldn't be that worse, right?

I walked inside and headed to my locker. And then I saw it. They were everywhere, pictures of me and Troy. At my balcony. Kissing. I could've done something to myself, why didn't I just drag him inside!? Then no one would've noticed. How did they find him anyways? A new thought came into my head.. But that meant..- That they knew Troy stayed over the night aswell. They knew it was just an act. They just let us think it worked. And we were so stupid to believe them. I leaned against my locker and closed my eyes, trying to block everything out, trying to escape from it. But I could still hear them talking, their eyes seared on me. I felt more miserable with every second. I slammed my locker and squelched a scream. Now I really couldn't stop my tears any longer, they left long, dark streams from my mascara, but I didn't care. All I wanted was just a chance to turn back time. Then I wouldn't have let this happen. Maybe I wouldn't have given in to my feelings and stayed away from him. Maybe that would've been better. Maybe I wouldn't have been to the concert where we first met at all. But I let it happen, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted to rip all those photos apart, but there were too many. And for the first time since last night, another memory came back to me.

*

_He knew how hard it was for her to tell him about it. And when she finally got the courage to do it, he left, looking at her in disgust. _

_Like she was the one who did something wrong. Like she forced them to do what they did to her. Like she wanted to get attention. But it wasn't like that. And he knew that._

_But he didn't care.. He thought it would be easier to just blame her, he didn't know how to handle.. So he broke her heart and told everyone who wanted to hear.._

_And they looked at her the same way. Like she did something wrong. _

_Many times she went over to him to talk to him, but he didn't want to listen. His friends threatnend her. They'd do horrible things to her if she'd ever come near him again. And she knew they were just taking advantage of her, but yet she didn't have the courage to go back to him._

_And then there was her father. Her own fáther. Even he blamed her. Called her a slut. _

_That was the worst of everything. Out of everyone her dad should've been the one to comfort her, but instead he listened to hím.. _

_That same day at school she felt the staring looks, she heard the whispers. But she acted like she didn't care. Her locker was barely visible from all the papers that were taped on it. With the most horrible words written on it._

_She cried and cried. Couldn't stop the tears. And then she ran outside. Leaving school and she decided not to go back ever again. Not to this place, where all the horrible memories kept haunting her. But what if she could never escape from it?_

*

I collapsed on the floor. Exhausted by everything. My mind felt like exploding. My tears wouldn't stop falling.

The memories kept coming back, some even worse than before. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to ban them out of my head.

They were driving me crazy, my head started pounding heavy. Too heavy. And then I lost consciousness..

*

**Troy's POV.**

I looked at the two guys from the label. One of them was small and a bit.. fat, the other was tall and skinny. Boring.

They were flipping through the pages of my notebook, and read a few songs and chords that I wrote down in it. Every now and then they asked me to play something, but then they shared critical looks with eachohter. And I knew what that meant.

They didn't like my new songs. They loved my old ones, and I knew they were hoping that I would come up with songs like that. But I didn't.. I was developping myself, and I was slowly finding my own style. A style I was comfortable with. My new songs were so much more me than my old songs, but they clearly seemed disappointed. And I knew that, if I was going to work with them, they'd force me to go back to my old style. And I wasn't going to let that happen. I would find another label if I had to, I refused to go back to the way it was before.

I felt uncomfortable around these two people, so how worse would it be if I had to work with them?!

Sandra's phone started ringing, which dragged me out of my thoughts.

She stood up. "I'm sorry, I have to take this." She said as she walked out of the room to answer her phone.

An awkward silence.

It seemed to take hours before Sandra got back. And she didn't seem happy. She stood behind me and looked at the two guys infront of me.

"Do you mind to continue this later on? Something came between and Troy and I really need to go." She said, staring at me.

I turned to her and raised my eyebrows. What could've been so important that made her wanting to leave?!

One of the guys nodded, I forgot his name. "Sure, I think we know enough for now." He said as he and his partner stood up. That didn't sound good, but Sandra didn't seem to care.

"We'll keep in touch." The other guy said. Without waiting for our replies they walked out of the room.

"Now what's so important?" I asked Sandra, still confused.

Her look changed, but I didn't know how to interpret it. She sighed. "Ok, I'm just gonna show you, so you can explain." She said as she grabbed for her phone.

"Chad just called me, and he told me something's been over the news for the entire day already."

She pressed a few buttens and then showed me a picture. I swallowed hard and my throat tightnend. I was shocked. How the hell did they get that!?

I stayed quiet and tried to avoid Sandra's look.

"Well, are you going to tell me something or not?" She crossed her arms.

"There's nothing to tell." I said, my throat felt sore.

"Troy, it's been all over the news! How could you be so stupid!" She yelled angrily.

I looked at her. "I wasn't thinking, ok?" I stood up.

"But let me tell you one thing.." I started when I saw Sandra's maternal look. She didn't approve it.

I sighed. "I love her, and not you, not the press, not anybody, can change that. Just deal with it or not, but I won't let anyone tell me who to love or not." I said angrily as I headed to the door.

"Oh, and another thing.." I turned around. "Tell the label they can forget about the deal. I'm not going through with it."

Then I left the building, frustrated, leaving Sandra behind in shock.

*

_**It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to revieww!!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 13.**

**--**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; Am I making Sharpay too emotional? ...**_

_--_

**Troy's POV.**

I sighed as I waited for Sharpay to answer her phone. But no one picked up.

"_Come on, Shar.. Pick up your phone.." _I mumbled to myself. I was sitting at home, nothing was on my planning anyways. I had the rest of the day off. Sandra tried to call me, three times in a row, but I didn't answer. I was still angry with her. And I knew I shouldn't have blamed it on her, it wasn't her fault. But I knew she didn't approve me and Sharpay being together, and that was what made me angry. She could at least try to fix things with the paparazzi, instead of letting them posting pictures. Normally she would've done that, but I knew she didn't do it this time because she wanted me to see what kind of mistake I made. But even though it came out, I still didn't think it was a mistake. She had been the best thing that had ever happened to me, without any doubts. I wouldn't regret it.

Finally someone answered the phone. "Hello?" A male voice spoke.

My throat tightened. Why didn't Sharpay answer? I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I'm calling for Sharpay.."

It was quiet for a while. "Who's this?"

"Uhm.. I'm.. uh.. -I'm a friend of Sharpay. Who's this?"

"Ryan. I'm her brother." The voice answered.

I swallowed. "Oh. Can I talk to your sister then?" I asked.

"She's not here." Ryan replied.

"Then can you tell me how I can reach her?"

It was quiet again. "Hello?" I asked.

Ryan sighed. "Shar's in the hospital. She collapsed at school today."

"W-what!?" I was shocked. Confused. Sharpay was in the hospital? What happened?!

"Yeah.. People found out about her secret relationship with Troy Bolton and well, they didn't seem happy about it at school.." Wait, did I hear a spur of anger in his voice? Did he blame mé for what happened?

I swallowed, trying to keep my voice normal. "Oh, ok. Thanks.." I said and then I hung up.

I buried my head in my hands. Ryan was right. I was to blame. If I wasn't that stupid to kiss her, it wouldn't have been this worse. And now this happened. Like she didn't have enough to deal with already.

I felt a sudden anger towards her classmates. And her friends. Where were they when she collapsed? Shar hung around with her friends every single minute at school, then how did they let this happen? I looked up and stared in the distance. Maybe they found out earlier than she did and they got angry at her.

I got up on my feet again and headed outside. I tried to ignore the flashing cameras and walked away quickly. To the hospital.

***

"I'm sorry, but we can't tell you that." The receptionist said when I asked her for Sharpay's room.

"What? Why not!?"

"We need to have your background information and other information such as your relationship towards miss Evans. I'm sorry, but that's the way is." She looked at her computer again. I sighed.

"And I don't care if you're famous or not, but it's not going to happen." She continued as she looked back at me.

I rolled my eyes. I knew there was no other option than confessing.

"If it's that important to you, I'm her boyfriend, ok?! If you had seen the pictures, like everybody else did, you didn't have to tell me that whole story about background information and stuff because you'd already know." I said with a sarcastic undertone in my voice.

The receptionist raised her eyebrows, but didn't reply.

"Now would you please give me my gírlfriends' roomnumber? I wanna know how she's doing." I asked when I noticed she wasn't going to reply.

She sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "On the second floor, room 468." She said as she gave me a look.

"Thanks." I replied and I turned around.

Then suddenly the voice of the receptionist sounded from behind me. "Mr Bolton?"

I turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"Uhm.. I was wondering.. Well, my granddaughter is a huge fan of you. Uh.. would you mind?" She asked as the shove a piece of paper over the court.

I smiled slightly. "Of course not." I said as I wrote down my autograph. "Here you go."

Then I headed to Sharpay's room.

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

When I woke up in the hospital I had no idea where I was. My brother and my mum were sitting around my bed, and they were worried sick about me. My mum pulled me into a few hugs every now and then, telling me how worried she had been. She was overreacting. It wasn't that bad. I didn't take any drugs, I didn't drink, no one beat me up, I had no idea why I lost conciousness. All I remembered was that I collapsed on the floor, trying to block the memories and the people out. And next thing I knew I woke up at the hospital. I didn't even know how I got here, who called an ambulance?

After a while my mum and my brother left, finally. They were too intimate in my opinion. My mother had always treated me the way a good mum should. But the past few years she became distant because of what happened. And now all of a sudden she wanted to be close again. I don't know, but I think I just didn't want to accept that. So I asked her to leave, along with my brother.

I wanted to go home too, but the nurses wouldn't let me. They thought it was better for me to stay the night. But there was nothing wrong with me, or so the testresults said. I was just stressed out. The nurse suggested not to go to school for a few weeks, but I refused. I didn't want to give the people an oppertunity to make up new rumors. I was sure they already made up rumors about me going to the hospital. And I was longing to hear about each one of them. Nót.

It was almost 16:00 PM. I was sitting in my bed, watching some boring talkshow. Why didn't I ask my mum to buy me a few magazines!?

Then the thought of Troy ran through my mind. Oh my god, I hadn't got the chance to call him yet!

Just when I picked up my phone a soft 'knock' sounded on the door. Then the door opened and Troy walked in half-smiling.

I smiled back. "I was just about to call you.."

He walked up to me and sat down next to me. "Already here." He said as he kissed my cheek. I felt my face turning a bit red.

He looked at me. "How are you feeling?"

I sighed. "Good. But they won't let me go til tomorrow." I said as I played with his hand. "So you heard the news too?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'm sorry. It's my fault you're like this now.." He said as he looked down, feeling guilty.

I tilted his head up so he faced me. "Troy, we're both to blame. Maybe you shouldn't have kissed me, and maybe I should've took you inside. But it happened, and we can't change it, ok?" I said, surprised by the confident of my own voice. If I only felt that way too..

He smiled slightly. But his smile faded just as fast as it appeared. "But still.. This shouldn't be happening to you.."

I swallowed. I was hesitating about telling him what happened at school already, or just stay quiet.

He seemed to know what I was thinking. "You don't have to tell if you don't want to."

I shook my head. "No, that's not it.. It's just.. It's been a tough day.." I said.

"I mean, it started great.." I looked at him, smiling. "But it got worse when I got at school.. Taylor and Gabriella were furious and at the time I had no idea why. They were talking about the news, and pictures.. It was confusing. Until they mentioned you.." I looked away.

"Then they walked off.. And when I got to my locker, they were everywhere. The pictures. I felt like going crazy. I heard people talking about me, saw their looks. And then they came back again.. Flashbacks.. of.. what happened at one of my previous schools. Next thing I knew I collapsed and lost conciousness.." My voice broke. I took a deep breath, but when I exhaled tears started to run down my face.

Troy then took me in his arms, and stroked my hair. I was happy I had at least someone knowing what I was going through. No one else would ever understand. But he did. His arms around me felt like a safe haven. My only safe haven. And I was so happy he let me be who I was. Someone who let me cry when I was sad -what happened more often than I wanted-, and tried to comfort me. Instead of walking out on me and telling everyone what happened. He was the first one who didn't do that. And I knew he wouldn't do that.

So I just cried, and he let me. I believe I could've filled a swimmingpool with the amount of tears that streamed down my cheeks, so much that I cried. But he didn't care about the stains that my tears left on his shirt. He wiped my tears away every now and then. And we just sat there, neither one of us saying a word. But we didn't need to. We knew that we had to cherish the moments we had together, because we wouldn't see each other that much after it. Although I was hoping to see him a little more often now everyone knew about it. But we both knew we would get through this together. I cuddled up to him, trying to be a bit positive about it. As long as we had each other, I believed everything would work out. It had to.

*

_**Ok, this Chapter was pretty boring, wasn't it?**_

_**Anyhow, It takes hours to make a story, yet seconds to review! ;)**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 14.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**Sharpay's POV.**

No matter how I tried, my mum didn't let me go to school for the week. I got out of the hospital really quick, and I was planning on going to school like nothing happened. But she kept me home.. I tried to tell her I was fine, that I wanted to go to school, but she didn't give in. And so I had to stay home, bored and totally not looking forward to go to school in a week. Staying at home for two days didn't seem that worse, but for the week was something completely different. The most horrible rumors would've spread by the time I went back. I was sure about that. But what could I do? My mum was keeping an eye on me like I was six years old. It was a miracle she didn't attempt to lock me up in a cage yet.

Even though she didn't show, I knew she was getting crazy of the paparazzi waiting for me outside. Ever since the news about me and Troy came out they had been standing outside my house 24/7. It was horrible, but I knew this was what I had to offer to be together with him. Troy came over a few times, but he could barely get through the barriers of paparazzi, who were firing questions at him like bullets. So he apologized once he got to the door, and then I dragged him inside. We tried to figure out ways to see eachother without having the paparazzi waiting for him to come out again, but it seemed impossible. So after a few hours he left my house again, hoping to see me soon. But he couldn't promise anything.. His schedule changed every day and it was impossible to get some alone time. I tried to be positive about it, but it was tearing me up. Every time I was not near him my memories came back. It was like he was some kind of drug to me, he healed me from the memories. And once I was alone, they came back again..

*

It was Tuesday. I was at school, having lunch. On my own. Taylor and Gabriella let me down, even when I was at the hospital. They didn't even try to talk to me again, to ask me how I was. Everyone seemed to talk about me, because everywhere I went people stared at me. And they always seemed to stay quiet when I walked by. I slowly got used to it. I tried to keep my head up high, like I didn't care about them. But it felt horrible to walk through the hallways all alone. There was no one who understood, apart from him.. But he wasn't here.. The one I needed most. Maybe I sounded possesive, but I really felt like I needed him to be with me, to tell me it was going to be ok. He said those words like so many times before.. And as much as I wanted to believe him, I slowly gave up hope. Maybe it wasn't going to be ok. What if this was exactly what everyone wanted to happen? To see me tearing apart so they could tell me "See? You should never started something with him in the first place!". It was like no one at school -or anywhere else- approved me to be with him. There had never been someone who came up to me and said "Hey! I'm so happy for you! You and Troy look so cute togther!". It would've made me feel so much better to at least have someone to talk to, someone who didn't have a problem with me and Troy being together.

So I tried making it up to Taylor and Gabriella after school.

I ran after them. Hoping they wouldn't ignore me. "Taylor! Gabriella! Hey, wait up!" I said as I caught up with them. They quickly glanced at me and then ignored me.

I sighed. "I know you guys are mad, but come on, can't you just try to understand why I haven't told you?"

"Oh, we understand, Sharpay. Very clearly." Taylor replied with a cold voice as she suddenly stood still and looked at me. "You just didn't want to admit you were together with the guy you once hated, right?"

I shook my head. "No, that's not it! It's just.. I've been wanting to tell you, but I was afraid it would come out and..-"

Gabriella cut me off. "Oh, so that means you didn't trúst us? Well, that's good to know then! Now if you'll excuse us." She said angrily as she started walking again, not paying any more attention to me.

"No, wait!" I said and I stopped her by grabbing her arm.

She freed herself. "Save it, Sharpay. You were the last one I expected to be that selfish. You just wanted him for yourself, huh?"

Tears welled up in my eyes. "No! I never meant to be like that! It's just..-"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Sharpay, just leave us alone. We won't listen." She said and she and Gabriella walked off.

*

A few flashes blinded me. I could only see a few people standing still. But I couldn't take it any longer.

I screamed frustrated and ran away. I pushed someone aside as I tried to make my way through the wall of bodies. I heard people laughing. Paparazzi asked me questions, but I ignored them. I ran down the sidewalk and tried to block it out.

Without paying attention to anything or anyone around me, I bumped into something. Or someone.

I mumbled "I'm sorry" and ran further. But then someone grabbed my arm to stop me. I looked up and my eyes widened as I saw Troy standing in front of me. He looked shocked, upset, worried. Everything at the same time.

And I felt like I couldn't look at his gorgeous face any longer. I wasn't angry with him, not at all. But I felt like I had to escape from him. From everything. I freed myself and without even saying something I ran further.

"Shar, hey, wait!" His voice yelled from behind me as he ran after me. I sped up my pace and ran even harder. But he caught up with me easily. He grabbed my arm again and stopped me.

I heard a few 'clicks' and I knew the paparazzi were running after us too. Could this get even worse?

"Troy, just.. just go." I said with a trembling voice as I tried to free myself. But his grip around my wrist was too tight. I sobbed and bit my lip.

He shook his head and then looked into my eyes. His worried look was so hard to avoid. His blue eyes pierced through mine, and normally it would've made me catch my breath. But right now I felt his confusion. Knowing he was worried about me made me feel even worse.

"I can't leave you alone like this.." He said and he meant it. A new buch of tears ran down my face. I hated how I couldn't seem to control my tears. I was too sensitive for all the emotions around me at this moment. My mind felt like exploding. Too many thoughts filled my head. And I didn't want him to get even more worried. So I tried to hold on strong.

"Troy, really, it's fine." My voice broke. And I knew he wouldn't believe me. I tried to get away from his grip yet again, but I was too weak.

"Shar, I know it's not. Come on, let's go." He replied as he dragged me to his car. Then he opened the door and helped me to get in. I wanted to struggle, but I didn't. He wouldn't let me anyways.

He got in the car aswell, and drove away.

*

**Troy's POV.**

She kept quiet during the ride. She just stared ahead, numbed by her thoughts. I felt like I had to say something, but I didn't know what. I felt horrible for her, seeing her running away from the paparazzi was just.. Something I hoped I'd never had to see. And it hadn't even been over a week ago since she was at the hospital. She was so vulnerable and no one seemed to care. No one but me. She tried to act like there was nothing wrong, but I saw she was slowly giving up. And I was hoping she wouldn't get too far into this, I would try my hardest not to let that happen. I would do anything to help her, even if that meant I had to quit my job. I cared too much about her to let her slip away.

I had no idea where to go. They would be waiting at her house, they would be waiting at mine. They would be everywhere. There was only one place I could think of to go, but I knew it wasn't a good idea to go there. I glanced at Sharpay again. There was no other option. We could drive around the city for hours, but I didn't know if that would make any sense. There was only one person I could ask for help, and even though I knew there was a small chance for her to agree, she was my only hope.

So I turned a few corners and turned off the engine once I parked the car.

Sharpay looked at the building. "Where are we?"

I sighed. "The recording studio. Sandra's here at the moment.. Maybe she can help.." I looked at Sharpay.

She shook her head. "She wouldn't do that." She said.

"Shar.." I lifted her chin up. "We're gonna get through this, ok? Don't give up. Maybe she's in a good mood."

I stayed quiet for a while as I looked into her eyes. Then I looked down. "And I don't know where else to go." I confessed.

"Troy, it's ok. I appreciate that you're trying. Really."

I looked back at her. I hesitated for a while.

"You know.. Maybe this isn't really the right time to say.. But I love you, Shar. I really do. I don't know if I can take it if anyone hurts you even more." I said and I really meant it. I felt a bit better by saying that.

She smiled slightly. "I love you too, Troy." She replied. "And there's no one who can change that."

Then she leaned in and kissed me quickly. I smiled back at her. She still seemed upset, and I understood that. But I was hoping I made her feel a bit better.

I got out of the car and it took a while before she did too. She looked at me, an exhausted look upon her face. "Are you sure it's ok with her?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, we'll see." I walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. I pulled her a bit closer. "Don't worry about it."

We headed to the door and walked in. Sandra just walked into the hall.

"Troy? What are you doing here..? And..-" She saw Sharpay next to me. "What's shé doing here!?"

"Sandra, you've got to talk to the press and tell them to back off a bit. I don't think she can handle this if it goes on like this." I looked at Sandra, and then at Sharpay.

Sandra sighed. "Troy, I've already told you there's not much I can change about it."

I let go of Sharpay and took a step closer to Sanda. "Have you even tried?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, suspicious.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I tried."

"Then try harder! I know I started this myself, but she deserves her privacy more than anyone else right now!" I said, referring to Sharpay. I tried to control my voice. "She shouldn't be followed by them all day long. They would've driven her crazy if I didn't take her away from them!"

"I.. think I have to sit down for a while.." Sharpay suddenly said from behind me, her voice sounded different. Weaker. Like she was about to collapse again.

"I'll bring you to the lobby." I replied as I took her hand. Then I brought her to the lobby. The lobby and the hall were seperated by walls of glass.

Sharpay sat down in one of the seats. I kneeled down next to her. "You ok?" I asked.

She nodded slowly. "Just having a very bad headache. Thanks for taking care of me." She smiled.

"That's alright. Just try to calm down a bit, ok?"

She nodded again. "I'll try."

"Good." I kissed her forehead. "I gotta go back to Sandra."

I stood up and walked back to Sandra. She crossed her arms and acted like she was waiting for hours already. Impatient.

She was exaggerating. When she spoke, she whispered. "Troy, I can't do anything to help her!"

"Didn't you see how weak she is?!" I whispered back. "She collapsed at school last week, because of all the stress. And if it goes on like this it'll happen again! You can't let her break down again!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not responsible for her!" Sandra sounded a bit angry, she glanced at Sharpay. Then she looked back at me.

"In fact, you are. You're responsible for me, you should take care of the paparazzi. And she's with me now, which changes the whole situation! You can't leave her on her own!" I said, frustrated. I couldn't believe her.

Sandra rolled her eyes again. "I'm sure she can handle it."

"Just look at her. Réálly look at her. You know she can't handle it, but you just don't care!" I started to get angry too. "You know what, maybe I should find another manager, one that cares about the people that Í care about!"

Sandra looked shocked. "You can't just do that."

"No? Can't I? Just watch me." I said and I walked back to the lobby.

-

_**A/N; It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review! **_


	15. Chapter 15

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 15**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**Sharpay's POV.**

"Troy, it's really sweet of you.. But really, I can handle it." I said once we got back in his car. He decided to stay with me for a while, and I tried to convince him there was no need to. I was fine. I was just shocked when the paparazzi followed me, and then I got this very bad headache, but I was doing good now.

He shook his head, still not giving in. "Shar, I wánt to stay with you right now. Is that so wrong?"

He smiled slightly as he looked at me.

"No.. To me it isn't." I said and a smile played across my lips. "But don't you have other things to do today?"

"Not really. I'm not that busy now there aren't that many concerts planned. Plus, I didn't sign the new label.." He replied.

I looked at him, shocked and confused. "What? What happened?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "They only liked my old stuff. And I knew that if I'd sign the contract, they would force me to go back to my old style. And I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because my new songs are so much more like me. I mean, I always put everything I felt in a song.. But I just feel this new style fits me better."

"That's great. I mean, not the contract-thing, but that you're finally finding your own style. I always thought you were a poser, but I guess I was wrong." I confessed.

He quickly glanced over at me. "Wow, you must've really hated me." He chuckled.

I laughed slightly. "You have no idea."

"But seriously, what made you change your mind about me?" He asked, suddenly curious.

"I don't really know, to be honest. I guess it's because you went after me when I left the show, and I don't know what you did, but I couldn't seem to get you out of my mind. The next time I had to come back, and then you wrote that song for me. It was the sweetest thing someone ever did to me." I smiled. "That definitely changed my opinion about you. Maybe I didn't like you because you seemed to be perfect."

He laughed out loud. "Me? Perfect?" He looked at me to see if I was kidding. When he saw I was serious he looked back at the road. "I'm far from perfect."

"I know that now." I chuckled. He gave me a quick look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. It's just.. Everyone always talked about you like you were sent straight from heaven."

I heard how he tried to hold his laugh. He failed. "It made me feel like, 'Come on, there has to be sóméthing wrong with that guy!'"

"And, did you find out anything wrong about me?" He asked, still having an amused smile upon his face.

I laughed too. "It sounds so mean the way you say it."

"It's the truth. It was your thought, not mine."

"I know." I said, giggling at the weird, but yet serious conversation we were having. "Maybe I just wanted to find out if you were really that perfect as everyone described."

"I'm sorry for disappointing you." He said as he parked his car infront of his house.

"You didn't disappoint me. Not at all. You seemed nicer than I thought." I said as I tried to untie the seatbelt

"What does that have to do with my perfection?" He replied, half-laughing again. He laughed a lot today. At least, since we left the studio.

I shrugged my shoulders "Nothing really. Just thought you had to know. Else you'd think I only talked to you to find out if you were perfect." I failed at untieing the seatbelt.

Troy bended forward to help me. "Oh, so there's another reason?"

He looked up at me and his head was closer to mine than I thought it would be. For a few seconds I forgot what I was about to say.

"I..-" I sighed. "I think I already told you the main reasons. One, I couldn't forget about you. Two, I wanted to figure you out, just like you wanted to figure me out..-"

He cut me off. "Do you blame me? You were the most confusing girl I ever met!" He said as he smiled.

I slapped him playfully. "Do you wanna know the third reason or not?" I giggled.

"I'm sorry. I won't say anything anymore. Promise." He said as he pretended to zip his mouth shut.

I laughed again. "You're distracting me! I forgot what I wanted to say!"

"Ok, ok. I'll try to stay quiet this time.'' He said, but he could barely hide another smile.

"Ok.. Uhm. Three.." I stayed quiet. "Damn it, now I really don't know anymore!" I said and I couldn't help but kept laughing. He laughed along with me. And it felt great.

This was the first time in days that I felt good again. Like, really good. I loved being with him, like this. Like we didn't have to worry about the world around us. Like it was just us. And that thought was amazing.

*

**Troy's POV.**

I shut the door behind me and was surprised there was no paparazzi outside. That was the first time. Maybe Sandra realised it was really bothering us, so she tried to do something about it. I'd thank her later.

Sharpay walked through the livingroom, just looking around.

"You really love music, huh?" She asked as she walked over to the piano. She played a few keys, and then looked back at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I've been playing piano and guitar for as long as I can remember. My mum used to teach me how to play piano. I learned to play the guitar myself. The singing thing came later."

"That's amazing." She said, and she sounded really interested.

"Do you play?" I asked.

"I can play the piano, a bit.. And I sing, sometimes. But I'm not that good." She answered shyly.

"Really? Let me hear something." I said and I smiled at her.

She averted her head. "No.. You don't wanna hear me."

I walked closer to her. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

She giggled. "No."

"Please?" I looked into her eyes. "No one else can hear you, it's just me."

She still didn't give in. "You'd laugh at me."

"I won't."

She intertwined her fingers with mine and looked down. "You promise?" She looked back at me.

"I promise" I smiled at her. Then she took a deep breath and let go of my hand.

She sat down behind the piano and looked at me. "What do you wanna hear?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Whatever you feel comfortable with."

"Uh.. ok.." She said and she started playing. I looked at her, not knowing what to expect. But the notes that she played sounded perfect. Then she took a deep breath and started singing, it was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard..

***

**It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review!! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 16.**

**_Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!  
*_**

**Sharpay's POV.**

When I was done I looked at Troy. He seemed surprised, speechless. I giggled.

"What? Was it that bad?"

He shook his head. "No, far from bad. That was amazing." He said.

"Come on, you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, really. You sound great. Honestly."

I looked at him, and he seemed to mean it. "Well, thanks. I guess. I wrote it myself.''

He seemed even more surprised. "You mean, what you just played.. You wrote that?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Wow, that's just..- You're really good." He said as he sat down next to me. "When did you write it?"

"About a week ago, when my mum didn't want to let me go to school. The words just rolled out like that and I had the chords in my mind for a few weeks already." I smiled slightly.

"Why haven't you told me about it?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. You never really asked me about it."

He laughed slightly. "True." Then he started playing a few chords, I recognized the song that he wrote for me.

I smiled. "The first time you played this song, you played the guitar right?" I asked, remembering that night clearly.

"Yeah.. I tried it on piano, but I always mess up." He said as he missed a note. I laughed. He recovered and started over. "I always get stuck trying to find that note."

"You mind if I try it?" I asked. He looked at me.

"Sure." He answered

"Ok. Just show me what you did."

"You mean this part?" He asked as he played the intro. He hit the wrong note again. I watched his fingers, trying to remember each key. Then he took his hands off the keys.

"Yeah.. I think it's supposed to sound like this.." I said as I tried to play the intro. I messed up a few times, but after a while I knew the chords by head.

Troy looked at me in surprise. "You know how long I've been trying to get that note right?" He said as he watched me playing the part for the fourth time.

I giggled. "Have you tried the rest yet?"

He shook his head. "I wanted to know that note first, why?"

I stayed quiet for a while, trying to remember the melody. "Isn't the next part something like this?" I said as I played a few chords. He looked at me in disbelief.

I laughed. "I listened to that song so many times. I know every word and every note. And I can't read notes, so I taught myself to play piano by ear."

"That's great." He said. He was impressed. That made me shy. But I loved how we both shared a passion for music. Of course, he was famous for his music, but now I got to know him better I started to realise what his music meant to him. It was everything to him. Just like it was for me. Well, maybe his passion was bigger than mine, but we both loved music.

I smiled as I attempted to play the entire song. I messed up a few times, but he helped me every now and then.

We tried to play the song for the third time, and I couldn't help but felt like singing along. Not really singing out loud, but just humming to the melody. And then he sang along with me. It encouraged me to sing louder.

So there we were, together, singing and having the time of our lives. It was great. His voice matched mine so well. I didn't mess up, and I couldn't seem to get that smile off of my face.

Sometimes we stumbled over the lyrics, but then we laughed and tried again. He asked me to play something else, and this time I wasn't afraid to play it for him.

*

Next thing I knew we were trying to write a new song, together. Every now and then we switched to let the other play the chords, and it slowly started to turn into something. We made up the lyrics together, we laughed if the other made a joke or messed up really bad, and we sang to see how it sounded all together.

Time flew by, and before we even realised it, it got so dark we had to turn the lights on. I didn't want this day to end. Not at all. I didn't want to go outside to get overwhelmed by paparazzi and my thoughts again, I just wanted to stay here with him.

Suddenly I felt how hungry I was, and I glanced at the clock. It was almost 20:00 PM.

**Troy's POV.**

I glanced at the clock aswell. "You're hungry?"

I didn't feel the urge to hurry, just to get her out of my house. I didn't want her to leave yet. We were having a great time and I didn't want it to end this soon already.

I looked back at her.

"Uhm, yes, actually." She replied laughing.

I laughed along with her, my cheeks started to hurt from all the laughing, but that didn't stop me.

"I better make something to eat." I said as I stood up.

"You want me to help you?" Sharpay asked as she turned to me.

I smiled at her. "That'd be great."

Eventually we ended up ordering pizza, because we both turned out to be a disaster in cooking. We really tried making something, but it became a mess and we decided we didn't want to kill ourselves by eating our self-made dinner. And like that wasn't worse enough, she let the flower explode out of its pack, so we were drained in flower. I had never laughed so hard in my entire life. She couldn't resist making a few pictures with her phone. "Don't you think it's amazing to look back at this pictures when we're about 50 and think about the 'Good old times'?" She replied when I asked her about it. Her clothes, face and hair were drained in flower, but she looked cute. She giggled when I told her that. But she tried to rub it off of her clothes and face as soon as I noticed it.

*

It was getting late, and we both knew she had to leave soon. But she didn't seem to have the urge to leave. Just like I didn't feel like kicking her out of the house because it was late. I wouldn't even mind if she wanted to stay for the night.

We were just sitting on the couch, she cuddled up to me and laid her head onto my shoulder. I stroked her hair, like I always did. We talked every now and then, but we didn't mind the silences either. She closed her eyes, a bit tired. And I felt how I was slowly getting tired too. She mumbled something like 'I love you', but I wasn't sure if I heard it correctly. It made me feel good though. She was half-asleep, half-awake.

And then, around 1:00 AM, we both fell asleep.

*

_**It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review!**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17.**

_**Note; English still ISN'T my main language. And it will never be. So ignore the mistakes&enjoy this story :D!**_

--

**Sharpay's POV.**

A few weeks passed by. School was coping, but still horrible. Troy had been doing a few interviews and he decided to tell them the truth about us. He thought it wouldn't be fair towards his fans to deny that he had a girlfriend, while in the meanwhile the magazines were full of pictures. And I could totally understand that. I would've done the same thing if I were him. Sure, there was still paparazzi waiting for us, but it started to wear off a bit. It became less popular, everyone was getting used to it. Things were going back to its normal way of going. And I was glad it did. I felt more comfortable at school, people started to talk to me again. Sometimes they wanted me to get a picture with autograph for them, but I didn't do that. Troy would go crazy if I showed up with a bunch of pictures for him to sign everytime I saw him. I would feel like his manager, and I didn't want to feel like that. I wanted to be seen as his girlfriend, not as his postpigeon or something like that. The memories almost stayed away. They came back sometimes, but I found the strength to push it away. I didn't feel like collapsing any more, and I wasn't that stressed out either. I was doing good. I tried making it up to Taylor and Gabriella a few times, but they still didn't want to talk to me. Instead of getting upset about it I just shrugged my shoulders and tried not to care about it. They were probably just jealous. And if this was the way they wanted our friendship to end, then so be it. Ever since our fight I got in contact with other people, people I never talked to before. I realised I didn't need two fake friends, but I'd rather had a lot people being nice to me, without having to expect too much out of it.

I walked through the hallways and greeted a few people from my homeroom. Finally some people seemed to accept the situation. And that made me feel great.

Kelsi, one of my classmates, walked over to me. "Hey. Uhm.. I had a question about our assignment. You know, the history project?"

"What about it?" I asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you made your part already?" She replied, feeling uncomfortable.

I nodded. "Made it yesterday evening. Maybe we could discuss the things we still have to do during lunch?"

I was secretely hoping she would say yes, because then I wouldn't have to sit all alone during lunch.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine. You can sit at our table if you want. I'm sure the others won't mind.'' Kelsi said.

I smiled. "Great. See you then."

I walked further, to my locker. To my surprise, I saw Gabrielle leaning against it.

"Gabriella? You're in my way of getting to my locker.." I said with an uninterested tone in my voice. What was she doing here?!

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said and she stepped aside. "Actually, Sharpay.. I wanted to talk to you."

I opened my locker and raised my eyebrows "Oh? Since when?" I replied, still pretending not to care. And I didn't. Not anymore. Maybe I would forgive her if she apologized, but if she'd get angry with me again, I didn't care.

Gabriella sighed. "Shar, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. You were right about not telling us. I've seen what you have been going through the past few weeks, and I understand why you wanted to keep it secret."

"Glad you finally realise." I said, still not looking up.

"Shar, come on. I didn't mean what I said. I don't want our friendship to end.." She sounded honest.

I sighed as I closed my locker. "You didn't even ask how I was when I came out of the hospital." I said, speaking my mind about what hurt me the most. Out of everything that had been happening between the three of us, I was the most angry at them for not caring when I was at the hospital.

"I know, and I am so sorry for that! I should've been like a real friend and had to visit you.. But I.. I was angry.."

"Gabriella, that doesn't change anything.."

"What do I have to do to make it up to you?" Gabriella asked. She looked hopeful, but upset too.

I sighed again. I wanted to forgive her, because I really needed someone to walk with through the hallways again.

"Just promise me you won't do it again.." I said. I looked at Gabriella.

She hugged me. "Thanks, Shar. I knew we could forget about this.''

"Gabs, don't get me wrong.. You guys really hurt me and..-"

She cut me off. "I know, and I'm really sorry for that. I didn't mean to hurt you.."

I smiled slightly. "I can forgive you.. I think.."

She smiled back. But her smile faded soon enough. She looked down. "Taylor is still angry with you.. We had a fight, she thought I was weak for wanting to apologize to you."

"You know what, I try not to care about that anymore. If she's gonna be that way, then fine. I don't need her anymore.." I said with a confident tone in my voice.

She looked back at me. "Wow, you really changed your attitude, huh? In a good way of course. Is it him?" She asked, her eyes lightnend up a bit. I don't know why.

I laughed as I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, maybe. I guess he tries to let me see things from the brightside."

"So, what is he like? You know, in real life?" Gabriella questioned greedy.

I laughed even harder. "I already missed your curiousity." I said as I started walking to class and told Gabriella about him. It felt good to have a friend again..

--

**Troy's POV.**

"Troy, it isn't gonna happen!" Sandra exclaimed as she sighed deeply.

"Why not!? It's hér song too! She has the right to perform it just as much as I do!" I replied. Ever since I brought Sharpay to her, she always blamed everything on her. I was getting sick of it. I was sick of getting angry with my manager, but if she would just collaborate for once!

"Oh no, she hasn't!"

"Why not? Because yóú hate her?" I looked at Sandra angrily, she tried not to show, but I knew I was right. "For once, think about me instead of yourself! She has an amazing voice, and Í wanna do that song with her."

"That doesn't change anything! I'm your manager, I have the right to disapprove about that! That has nothing to do with me not liking her!"

"Oh, so you admit that you don't like her?" I raised my eyebrows.

Sandra rolled her eyes. "I didn't say that!" She yelled.

"You didn't have to! And besides, I thought you said the new song was góód?!"

"That was before I found out you wrote it with hér!" She sat down and groaned.

"What's the difference!" I felt like throwing something at her. Something that would hit her réálly hard.

"The difference is hér! It makes a lot of difference if she's there or not!"

I sighed. "You're unbelievable. What about what I want? You always do what you think that is best for me, without even listening to me!"

Sandra's face turned red. I could tell she was furious at me. "I listen to you all the time, Troy! And guess what, it's getting on my nerves!"

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU JUST QUIT!?" I screamed. She looked shocked because I had been trying to control my voice over the whole conversation. And it worked, till now. She didn't expect me to suddenly yell at her. But she deserved it.

She stood up. "I can't just quit my job!"

"Then stop complaining about how I'm getting on your nerves! If you just listened to me I wouldn't get this annoying to you!"

"FINE! Do that song with her if you have to! But don't come running after me if things mess up!" She yelled, yet again. Then she walked out of the door, furious.

But I didn't care about her anger. She'd forgive me. She always did. And I got her permission to do the song. Even though she didn't want me to.

I grabbed for my phone and dialed Sharpay's number. It took a while before she answered. "Hello?" Her voice answered.

--

"Hey Shar, it's me."

_"Oh, hey! How did it go?"_ She asked.

"Uhm, good, I guess. We got in a huge fight, again.." I said and Sharpay giggled. "But she gave in. If you still want to, we can record the song and perform it next week?"

She was quiet for a while. "Shar?"

_"Oh, I'm sorry. But.. I don't know, Troy. That'd make me famous too.. I mean, do you think you can live with that?" _

"I wouldn't have asked you to record the song if I couldn't live with it, right?" I replied.

She laughed slightly. _"True. But I don't wanna stand in your way of becoming bigger." _

"Shar, you don't stand in my way. You never will, ok? Maybe things will get a lot easier if they know who you are."

_"You think so?"_ She asked with a small voice. Something was wrong.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She hesitated for a while.._ "Don't get me wrong, Troy.. But I'm not sure if that's what I want.."_

_--_

_--_

**It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 18.**

--

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update. Hope you still remember me? ^^**

**Lots of things -good things- have been happening in my life, so I haven't really got the time to update my fanfic. And on top of that, I haven't really been in the mood to write drama-stories. Which means, I don't wanna rush this fanfic because I'd rather have a few chapters ahead, so that I can continue if I don't have the inspiration to continue. Like at this moment. Please understand ;)**

--

_**Note; English still ISN'T my main language. And it will never be. So ignore the mistakes&enjoy this story :D!**_

_**Note2; The line of Troypay's song is written by me. I know it's a lame and cheesy lyric. But then again; It does not give you the permission to steal it!**_

--

**Troy's POV.**

"What do you mean?" I asked, not understanding her reaction.

She sighed. _"It's just.. I know what kind of life you have, with all the fans, the paparazzi, the appointments and stuff. And I don't think I want that to happen with me. I mean, isn't one of the two having that enough already?"_

"Shar, it's only one song. You don't have to make an entire album, especially not if you don't want to." I said. "Look, I'm not going to force you to do that song with me. I accept your decision, really. But it would mean a lot to me if you wanted to do it with me. It's a duet after all, and I'm not going to sing it with some other artist. That would be unfair towards you."

Suddenly I heard all the background noise. She was at school, most likely. Why did that suddenly bother me?

Maybe I was just afraid that people would overhear her and spread new rumors. But on the other hand, everyone knew about us. Why wouldn't she be able to talk to me over the phone?

Sharpay sighed again. "_Ok, then.. But only this one song.. For the rest I'm not planning on becoming more famous. The drama that's been happening before is still freaking me out when I think about it. I'm glad I'm not a part of that world."_

"You actually kinda are, remember? You're with me. You try to hide from the paparazzi, my manager doesn't like you and you already have a few fans. You..-" I said half-laughing. She cut me off.

_"Ok, ok, I get it, mr Popular."_ She laughed. _"Ok, so I am a part of that world already, so what? That doesn't mean that I want to get involved with that world any more. The things you named are enough for me." _

"But maybe people will like you, and what do you decide to do then?"

I could almost hear how she rolled her eyes. I smiled slightly. _"Troy, can we change subjects please? I said yes, so there's no need to go on about this." _

"It's something we never discussed before." I said.

_"So? Why does it have to become something we have to discuss?"_ She replied, a bit annoyed.

"Maybe because you're about to record a song with me, and you remember how many fans there were last time?"

_"Oh, right. Thanks for referring to all the competition that I have." _She said sarcastically. I laughed.

"They're no competition! You're the only one I want, ok? But just think about it, Shar. Maybe it turns out you do like performing, so maybe it's better to just think about what you would want to do after it."

_"I'll think about it."_ She said._ "But I have to go now, I have class." _

"Oh, yeah, sure..-"

_"Oh, Troy? One more thing.."_ She started.

"Yeah?"

_"Things are good with my friend Gabriella again.. And I was wondering.. Do you mind if I take her to your next concert? She'd love to meet you."_ She said shyly.

"Sure, no problem. Wasn't she the one who took you to the concert the first time we met?"

She giggled. _"Yep, that's her." _

"Oh, well.. I'd love to thank her for taking you." I said half-joking, Sharpay laughed.

_"Ok, I really gotta go now. See you soon?" _She asked.

"What about tomorrow? Maybe we can work on the song?"

_"Sounds great. See you then." _and then she hung up.

--

**Sharpay's POV.**

The week after that went by so fast. We finished the song, recorded it and practiced together. The show came closer and closer, and so came my nervousity.

The day of the show I was freaking out. Gabriella tried to calm me down at school, but I couldn't. No matter how I tried. I could barely eat something and I couldn't focus on anything. Gabriella had to say something like three times before I even heard her, and when I finally heard her, it took me a lot of effort to actually get what she said. I just nodded as an answer most of the times.

Gabs and I were at the concert, the show was halfway and it was time for the break. Right after the break we would be doing the song, so I guess you can understand how nervous I must've been. My hands were shaking like crazy and my throat felt dry.

I was also nervous because I hadn't told Gabriella about meeting up with Troy. It was a surprise. I was afraid for her reaction, although I knew she was gonna like it. I was just hoping she wouldn't freak out or faint.

So during the break I took her outisde, to the back door.

"Seriously, Shar. Where are you taking me? I want to be back inside on time!" She giggled as I dragged her around a corner.

"Just wait. You're gonna like it." I replied. We stood in front of the door. So I knocked.

Sandra opened the door, and my happiness was gone like that. I saw my chances to get in falling.

"Sandra, hey.." I said as I faked a smile.

"Troy's not here." She glanced at Gabriella, who stood behind me, waiting for what was about to happen.

"What do you mean 'He's not here'? Where else would he be!? And besides, he knows we're supposed to meet up now. He wouldn't just forget about that." I said calmly. I wasn't planning on getting angry with her, that would only make things worse.

Gabriella looked from me at Sandra, and then back at me. Her eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen.

"Whatever, Shárpay." She spoke my name in such a disdainful tone that I was starting to wonder how bad she hated me. "You're still not going in."

"Why not? I'm part of the show tonight!" I said. "And Gabriella's with me, so I don't care what you're gonna say, but she's going with me."

I heard how Gabriella almost stopped breathing for a few seconds when she saw Troy appearing behind Sandra.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked with a soft voice which made my heart melt. I quickly looked at Gabriella, and I swear I could almost feel how her heart skipped a beat. Confession; So did mine.

Sandra froze. I smiled sweetly. "Oh, nothing. You're manager just doesn't want to let us in, right Sandra?" I looked at her. She gave me an angry look. The kinda look that made me laugh. I won.

Troy looked at Sandra aswell, and then sighed. "Just let them in, ok?"

Sandra freed an annoyed sigh. "When do you finally realise that..-"

Troy cut her off. "Never. So stop trying. Now if you don't mind, would you step aside so they can enter?''

Gabriella laughed slightly. Sandra crossed her arms, shot me a death stare and stepped aside. I smiled at Troy, he smiled back.

"Oh, and besides, that producer was looking for you, he wanted to talk about some new videoclip or something." Troy continued.

"GOD, FINE! I'M ON MY WAY!" She exclaimed as she turned around and left the room.

I bursted out in laughing as I walked in. "There isn't really a producer, right?" I asked when I saw the look on his face.

"Not really, but at least she's gone for a while." He replied as he quickly kissed my cheek. My face turned slight red.

I suddenly noticed how quiet Gabriella was, too quiet. I looked at her, and she slowly shoved inside. She seemed.. Shy.

"Troy, this is my best friend Gabriella. Gabs, this is Troy." I introduced them to each other.

Troy flashed a smile at her. I was wondering if she'd survive that, but she did. "It's great to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." Troy said as he shook her hand.

Gabriella smiled slightly back, still shy. Maybe overwhelmed by finally meeting him. It was a bit awkward. "It's.. great to meet you too." She replied.

She felt uncomfortable, I could tell. I didn't blame her. I would've felt the same if I were her.

I knew Troy was an easy talker, so it wasn't a huge problem. So about a few minutes later we were having a great time, just talking and laughing. Gabriella was still a bit quiet, but she slowly started to calm down. I was satisfied, and I was glad Troy was so nice to Gabriella. He could've acted like a star, only answering questions that the fans asked him. But instead we were just talking about everything, he asked Gabs about her opinion every now and then and he really tried to get her into the conversation and make her feel more comfortable. And it seemed like it worked. I smiled slightly. But I wasn't gonna let anyone take him away from me. Not that I thought Gabriella would do that, I don't even know why that thought came up in my head.

And then, before we even realised it, it was time for the show to go on and my nerves were coming back. Gabriella left to the hall again, thanking me a hundred times for doing this for her. I told her it was no problem, but she kept thanking me. Eventually she wished me luck, and she left. Troy tried to calm me down, but I was freaking out instead. He tried to convince that everything was going to be ok. But nothing seemed to take my nerves away. Not even when kissed me a couple of times, took my hand and walked with me through the corridors, towards the stage.

He got back up stage first, and when I heard all the screaming I was getting scared. What if they didn't like me? What if they hated me because I was his girlfriend? I tried to push that thought away and focus on the performance. But that seemed harder than I thought. Troy announced the new song, and that was the sign that I had to go on stage too. I took a deep breath and walked upstage. Everyone applaused, but then they got quiet, waiting expectantly for me to appear on stage. I got a bit nauseous when I saw all the people, but I tried to look at Troy instead. He smiled at me, and that gave me the power to do this. This was the whole reason why I was doing this, because he wanted to do this together with me. After all, it was our song. We had been writing on it for days, and now it seemed so long ago.

The band started playing and I swallowed, afraid to forget the words. But yet again, I tried to push the thought away. I looked at the audience, but I got blinded by the spotlights. That made me feel a bit better.

The first verse came up and I started singing, a bit insecure, but I wasn't gonna let him down. I looked at him, and towards the chorus I was slowly feeling more comfortable. Instead, I loved performing.

The chorus came up, and like we discussed, Troy sang along with me.

_"And I love this feeling, please don't take it away. Forever with you, that's where I wanna stay. So right, but so wrong, but I don't care anymore. I'm with you now, and that is all I live for.."_

_-_

**It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 19.**

*****

**Hola, my dear readers!**

**Sorry for not updating! I'm still really busy and tbh, I kinda forgot about this story. I try to remind myself of updating, but I keep forgetting about it.**

**On top of that, I stíll don't know how to end this story (Since I'm already writing Ch.30), and I just can't seem to find any inspiration. Hopefully I will get some soon (-:**

**Anways, enjoy this chapter&please review! 3**

*****

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2; The 'Escape' lyrics is written by me. Do not steal!**_

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

The song went awesome, and it was so amazing to finally sing the words I had been feeling for so long. Somewhere between the people I saw Gabriella standing, she gestured me a 'thumbs up'. I couldn't stop smiling, this evening went awesome. I never felt so good in my entire life. Singing this song, with him, felt like we were getting closer than we were before. Stronger. And I loved that idea. What a song can do to people..

We hit the last note and the audience applaused loudly. My smile got even bigger when Troy hugged me and whispered an ''That was amazing.''. It felt so unreal, this couldn't be happening to me. Me, someone who always got haunted by memories of the past. Someone who never got noticed before. And there I was, standing on stage, litteraly shining of happiness.

I went offstage, still a bit numbed by all the emotions. But I was feeling great.

Then suddenly Sandra walked over at me.

"That was.. really good.." Sandra said once she reached me. It sounded like it had to come from the pit of her soul. Like the words were so hard to say out loud.

I smiled at her, a bit surprised. "You really think so? Uh.. Thanks, I guess." I replied, not sure of what I could say to her. I knew she was still angry with me, I could tell by her look. But I was too proud to care about that. I was satisfied with the way things had been going this night, and I didn't want her to mess with my good mood.

She nodded slightly. Then she turned around and left. I heard Troy singing from the stage, and unaware of what I was doing I slightly moved my head to the rythm. I recognized which song it was. The song that made me run away the first time.. Escape. The lyrics still touched me, but I tried not to show. I couldn't break down, not now.. I whispered along with him, knowing every line, every key of the song. I felt pathetic. But I couldn't help but sing along with it quietly. He finished the last line of the first verse, and I knew that was the moment when I caught his lyrics for the first time. The chorus would start in about a few seconds, and that was when I turned around to him and caught his eyes. When tears started rolling down my cheeks. I took a deep breath, trying not to think about that day again and trying not to break down in tears again. I swallowed the tears back and felt how I got dragged into his lyrics again..

_"You try to escape from yourself, just to block it out.." _

I knew I had to walk away again, because I knew what would happen if I didn't. But I just couldn't seem to walk away.

_"Try to run, but you can't hide.." _

My throat tightnend, I felt how the emotions were taking control over me again.

_"The pain that's in your soul, too much to take.." _

I inhaled deep, trying to control myself. I could handle this.

_"You leave it all behind, but it never seems to fade.." _

_*_

No, I couldn't handle this. I would never be able to be stronger than the memories. I closed my eyes, but it only got worse.

_The girl stood infront of her father, trying to block him. "You can't leave!" She cried._

_His voice sounded angry when he spoke. "You're a shame to this family. There's no other option." He said as he pushed her aside.._

_She fell down, on to the ground. Her tears left black stains on her face. "But if you just listen to me for once I can..-''_

_He cut her off. ''Expláin? What do you wanna explain? That you seduced those guys so they had no other option!?"_

_"It didn't go like that at all! They were forcing themselves onto me, I did nothing to them!" She said and her voice broke. Her own father didn't even believe her. How was she supposed to expect that he would help her if he was like this?_

_"Lies!" He exclaimed. _

_She looked at her father. "You think I'm lieing? You think I would lie about something like thís?!" She was mad. Mad at the whole world around her. At everyone. At herself._

_Then he slapped her in the face, she yelled in pain as she cried harder. Without replying to her he walked out of the door. Leaving her on her own. Forever..  
_

I started breathing irregular, I was shaking and I couldn't stop it. Tears were streaming over my face. How could life turn around like that? This night seemed perfect, and now I felt like collapsing again. I got nauseous. The world infront of me was spinning around. I sobbed. My cry got hysterical, I started hyperventilating. And then I heard the last line of the chorus.

_"So you just escape.."  
_

I collapsed, and everything went black.

*

**Troy's POV.**

There were a few songs left to do, but I got cut off by Sandra running up the stage. She was in panic. It was about Sharpay, I was sure about that. What could've happened to her so bad that even Sandra was in panic?

I swallowed as I realised what it could've been. The song. I had been playing Escape, a few minutes before Sandra got upstage. How could I do that to her!? I knew that song would get to her again, why did I decide to play it just tonight!

Sandra walked over at me.

"Troy, it's Sharpay.. She.. collapsed." She whispered, confirming my thoughts. She looked worried.

I got angry at myself. I leaped my head backwards and closed my eyes. I tried not to focus on the audience. I knew Sandra gave me the choice; Going on like nothing happened, or going offstage and check up on Sharpay. Sandra would have wanted me to choose the first option of course, but then why did she came upstage to tell me? Normally she would've waited until the show was finished. Something wasn't right.

Sandra took the microphone from me. "Go. She's awake and wants to talk to you..'' She said and I saw how much effort it took her to say this. But I guess she realised how important Sharpay was to me.

I looked at her, and then at the audience. They were waiting patiently, but I saw the curiousity in their eyes. And I must've looked like I just saw a ghost. Horrified. I swallowed.

"I'll take care of it." Sandra mouthed as she noticed my hesitation.

I nodded at her, too shocked to talk. Then I ran offstage, to the back of the building. I opened the door and there she was, sitting on the couch, sipping from a glass of water. She looked miserable. Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks had black stains from all the tears. I felt so guilty. It was my fault that this happened to her. She smiled slightly when she noticed me.

I walked over to her and sat next to her. She looked at me. "Troy, your show..-" She started, her voice sounded weak. I cut her off.

"Sandra takes care of it. You're more important right now.." I said as I wrapped my arms around her. A gesture she replied to immediately.

She laid her head against my chest and sighed. "I'm sorry for messing the last part of your show up.."

I guess she said 'the last part' seeing as though the rest of the show went awesome. But I was confused. Why did she apologize?

"Shar, you don't have to be sorry. I should be. I know what a big impact that song had on you, I should've thought of that, but I didn't. I'm sorry.." I replied, still feeling guilty.

"It's ok.." She said and she closed her eyes.

"How are you feeling now..?" I asked as I stroked her hair.

"Better, now that you are here." She answered and she smiled.

I smiled back. I was kinda hoping for her to be mad at me, but she wasn't.. She didn't even blame me.  
*

For a while we just sat there in silence. Until she suddenly sat up and looked at me. I waited patiently for her to say something.

She laid back down. "The night we met.. The flashback I had.. It..was about.. something that.. happened a few years ago..'' She started, stumbling over her words.

I realised she was about to tell me what happened, so I kept quiet. She looked back at me to see if I was listening.

"I.. was on my way home.. It was late.. Maybe around 2 AM.. I walked down the streets.. And then a few guys came up to me.."

She took a deep breath, it must've taken a lot of effort to tell me this. And I could understand.

"They were.. flirting.. Touching me and they.. laughed when I pushed them away.. They were drunk.. They tripped me.. Into a cul alley.."

I had an idea of what could've happened, but it was too hard to think about. That couldn't have happened to her.

"It was horrible.. They were making sick jokes and laughed.. Then another few guys came up behind me.. They were part of the group." She said, having a bit more control over her voice.

"I told them to stop, but they didn't listen.. I tried to walk away, but one of them grabbed me from behind and I couldn't get away from his grip.. Another one.. He.." She swallowed and she broke down in tears.

I knew what happened next. That wasn't hard to guess. I felt horrible for her.

"They.. raped.. me." She eventually said. Hearing her say that made a cold shiver go up my spine. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what.. She sighed. "They were.. the beginning of everything.."

Wow, wait. The beginning? I thought this was hard already, what could've happened more? I could barely imagine everything she had been going through, but it must've been traumatic. Horrifying.

She looked at me, and she bit her lip. I don't know how I looked. Probably shocked.

She averted her head. "I'm sorry. You're probably getting sick of me complaining about what happened..." She said.

"What? You're not complaining at all.. It's horrible what happened.. But, I'm glad you're telling me. And if you don't wanna talk about it, then that's ok. I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do." I replied, surprised I was even able to say so many words all in once. I wasn't even sure if she would understand me, since I could barely keep up with myself because I talked so fast.

She shook her head. "No.. I think you should know what happened.. You know.. Maybe you can finally put the pieces together. I know I've been keeping it to myself for too long, and I know you were confused, but I wanted to know that I could really trust you first.."

"Shar, that's ok. Even if I had to wait five years before you'd tell me I'd accept that. It's your decision whether you tell me or not. Really." I said. She smiled.

"Thanks, Troy.. It makes me feel better knowing that." She replied. Then she sighed, ready to continue. "Ok. So I moved somewhere else after what happened. My parents ran a famous company back then, so they had to move for their jobs, and it seemed like it was the perfect time to move.. I got in a new school, and I got a boyfriend.. We've been together for a few months, but I broke up when he.. went too far." She said. I noticed how she was starting to feel uncomfortable everytime she was about to tell what happened at that point. And I have to admit, I felt uncomfortable too. Because I didn't know what to expect, but also because I knew someone hurt her so bad it had been haunting her the following years, and maybe it would haunt her even longer.. That thought drove me mad.

She stayed quiet for a while, trying to find the right words.

"We were great together, and he seemed to really care about me. But he was just one of those jerks that just gets together with girls for sex." She said with clenched jaws. She sounded angry. "He.. tried to get to that point..with me. I told him I wasn't ready.. But it didn't seem to reach him, he thought I was scared.. I told him to back off a bit, but he got closer and closer.. I pushed his hands away once again, and he got so angry that he slapped me. I fell onto the ground... Then he sat down next to me, and tried to act like nothing happened.. He tried to undress me.. But.. I got the power to push him away and ran away from him.." She closed her eyes. This whole thing seemed pretty emotional to her.. And it was. It required so much effort to tell this, and she had to relive the moments if she wanted to tell me. I felt upset, too. Angry towards the guys who did this to her..

"You remember that night when we first kissed? When I pushed you away?" She suddenly asked. I nodded.

"What I just told you.. That was the memory that came back to me at that moment.." She said. I swallowed. "I didn't mean to let it come back to me, but I couldn't stop it.."

She was quiet again. Just listening to her thoughts. I let her. Whether she chose to tell me more or just stop at this point, I'd accept that. I was glad she trusted me enough to tell me, and there was no way I was going to tell anybody. She had been hurt enough. Plus, I wasn't the type to tell others' secrets. But I got to understand what she had been going through, I wasn't that confused anymore. I finally started to realise why she tried to block me out the first times we met. She was afraid that I was going to hurt her too, and she was afraid that the memories would come back to her even more. After all, my song was the reason why her memories got back to her. That made me feel guilty, but I couldn't turn back time. And if I hadn't been playing that song, I wouldn't have noticed her at all. I wouldn't have fallen in love with her like I did. I wouldn't have been able to help her. And there was a chance to help her now. I was going to help her. I wanted her not to get haunted by the memories again, and I was going to do everything to help her with that..

*

_**It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review! XX**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 20.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2: Again, sorry for the long delay! I've been really busy and I had like nó inspiration. But suddenly, I got my inspiration back and continued the story this evening! To make it up to you guys, I'll upload a double dosis by adding two chapters in once! And I'll try to get Ch. 22 up by next week. Stay tuned!**_

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

It was so easy to talk to him. I think I never told so much about myself as I did that night. I told him everything. From how the guys been trapping me in the alley, to how my dad walked out on me when he found out about it. About how my boyfriend almost raped me too, and how he told everything to anyone who wanted to hear about it. About how horrible it was to switch schools and about how hard it was to try to move on. And he just listened to me, like, really listened. He didn't interrupt me, but waited patiently til I was finished. He didn't blame me for what happened, like everyone else did. He was the first one who understood. Well, of course he didn't really know what I was going through, but he understood how horrible things had been going. He was the first one to just listen to my side of the story. He didn't force me to continue when I stayed quiet for a while, he didn't complain about the amount of tears that I had been crying. He didn't complain at all. He acted like every boyfriend should do; He cared and comforted me when needed. He accepted me the way I was, no matter what happened in my past. He respected me. That was something not many people did. Especially not in the past..

It felt great to know there was someone who I could run to, and who knew how I was feeling. I felt relieved when I was done talking. Hours passed, but he didn't stop me and tell me it was too late.

A while after I finished talking, the conversation got back to its normal self and I felt comfortable again. Not that I didn't feel comfortable around him, but just telling about my past made me feel a bit uncomfortable. It made me realise how vulnerable I was.

I was just lying in his arms, feeling safe and loved. Something I hadn't been feeling for a long time. It felt great.

But now we were just joking around and just talking about how the show went before I collapsed. He seemed just as satisfied about my performance as I was.

I told him about Sandra's compliment, and he seemed surprised too. Sandra who came up to mé to tell me that I did good? That was just weird. We laughed about it.

*

Then suddenly, someone knocked on the door. I glanced at Troy, and he thought the same as me. Sandra walked in, what confirmed our thoughts. I didn't move up or anything, I just looked at her when she walked in. She knew we were together and so she just had to deal with it. Whether she liked it or not.

She smiled at me. "Sharpay, how are you feeling?" She asked. Was she kidding? What happened to her I-don't-approve-you-and-no-one-is-going-to-change-that attitude?!

I faked a smile. "Better, thanks." I replied, trying not to let my voice sound cold.

"I was actually hoping to meet you two together here. There's something I wanna talk to you guys about." She said as she sat down on the opposite side of us. It was clear that she didn't hope to see me lying in his arms. I could tell by her face. That thought made me hold back a giggle.

"Ok.." Troy replied, wondering what was coming next.

"I've been talking to a new label, and yeah, I know I haven't talked to you about it." She said when she saw Troy's look. "But I knew you would get even more nervous if you knew they would be here tonight and..-"

Troy cut her off. "They were here.. tónight!?" He asked half-surprised.

Sandra nodded. "Well, yeah. But anyways, they were very impressed by your performances and your songs. And they were interested in Sharpay too." She said as she looked at me.

"They were interested.. In mé?" I mocked incredulously.

She nodded again. "They want to invite you both for a meeting."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't look at Troy on purpose. I knew what he would say. We talked about it, and I already told him I didn't want to record an album. But now it turned out that the label liked me too, it seemed pretty cool to do it.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Troy started talking at that exact moment. "Well, we could always go and meet them, right Shar?"

Now I hád to look at him. I raised my eyebrows. Was he serious? Did he really want me to go to that meeting aswell?

"Unless, you don't want to of course.." He said, trying not to be pushy when he realised what he told me.

I shook my head. "No.. That's not it, it's just.. We've talked about this, remember? I would think about it.." I said. "And besides, nothing's wrong with meeting them, right?"

The conversation was getting uncomfortable again, I could feel it.

Sandra stood up. "Well, that's what I wanted to tell you. Again, you did a great job tonight. Both of you." She said as she looked at me. "I leave you alone now, just let me know if you decided."

She walked to the door. "Oh, and one more thing.. We're going to close the building in about an hour, so don't stay in too long. ok?"

Troy and I nodded. Then Sandra walked out of the door, and she closed the door behind her. I held back a giggle by the thought of accidently getting locked up in the building together with Troy.

"You know that you're not required to do it, right?" Troy asked and he dragged me out of my thoughts. I looked at him.

"Yeah.. But what's wrong with just going to that meeting?" I replied.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. I just thought you wouldn't want to go.."

"Troy, I know what I said before.. And I'm not saying that I want to be a superstar all of a sudden. But I really liked performing that song tonight, so why not see what they want from me?" I said. "I mean.. Us." I smiled at him.

He smiled back at me. "It's your decision, and you know I'll have your back, whatever you choose to do." He replied.

I cuddled up to him. "Thanks, Troy. I knew you'd understand."

*

**Troy's POV.**

After she told me about her past, a few weeks ago by now, we only got closer together. I finally understood what had been bothering her before, and I finally understood that it wasn't because she didn't like me, but because she tried to run from herself. I was glad she couldn't stay away, though. What would've happened if she díd turn away like she planned? I didn't even want to think of that. I'd probably be upset for the next few weeks and I would've been unapproachable. I was glad things didn't turn out like that. I was so much happier this way, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like without her in my life. I finally found a pretty fair balance between my job and her, the two things that were most important in my life right now. I tried to keep in contact with Sharpay every day, or every two days, over the phone. And I came by once/twice a week. Or vice-versa. It depended on how things went. I tried to be nice to Sandra (Which seemed pretty hard since she was still blaming everything on Sharpay and it ticked me off), and showed up at every appointment I had. I was being social towards the other people, signed a new label, and started working on my next album. Sharpay had been talking to the label too, but eventually she decided to put it off for a while. She wanted to get things right first. She made an appointment with a therapist and she was going there once a week. I went with her the first times, but later on she asked me to let her go on her own. She felt like she needed to finish this chapter on her own, and she didn't want me to risk my job by going with her. I told her it was no problem, but she still wanted to go alone. And I appreciated that. So actually, things went great between us and our lives seemed good. Better than a few weeks ago, when we got followed by paparazzi everywhere we went. Of course there was still paparazzi, but it wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't comparable with the amount of paparazzi that had been waiting outside the day Sharpay dressed me up like her brother. One of the craziest things I ever did in my entire life. And I'd do it again if I had to. As long as she was there to help me.

It was fridayevening, Shar and I tried to make friday our usual day to be together. And so far, it went pretty good. This time I went over to her. The past week had been really busy and I couldn't manage to call her that often as I used to do. But she understood, and didn't make a problem of it. It gave her more reason to wrap her arms around me and hold me tight when I entered her room.

We had been spending the past few hours just talking, and somehow she managed it to steal a few bottles of vodka from her dads' stock downstairs in the basement. I wasn't that much into alcohol, but a glass or two every now and then wouldn't kill me, right?

Err.. Yeah, it didn't really stop at two glasses though. The bottles were empty in an hour or two, and we both were.. Uh.. well, yeah, drunk. She more than me. I felt a bit light-headed and everything, but at least I wasn't giggling like crazy and asking weird, awkward questions all the time, unlike Sharpay. She had been drinking waaaay too much. Obviously. When she wanted to go down to get another bottle, I somehow came to my senses (as far as that was possible) and stopped her.

She giggled as she sat back down on her bed. "You're mean." She said with a double tongue.

"And you're drunk" I replied as I tried to stop her from standing up again.

"So are you." She paused as she seemed to try to think. "Ok. New question."

"Not agáín." I muttered.

She giggled again. I was sure it was going to sound insane seeing as though she was too drunk to ask nórmal questions, so I just waited.

"Ok. If you were.. to choose any famous woman on this world.. to do it with.. Who would it be?"

I looked at her, was she really asking me this?! Ok, that confirmed my thought, it díd sound insane. Sharpay would've never been this way if she was sober.

"Come on, can't you come up with something better than this? This is so not you!" I exclaimed.

"Just answer! It's not like I'm gonna be jealous or anything." She looked at me, her brown eyes searing on me.

I stayed quiet for a while as I tried to think clear. Impossible.

She was still expecting an answer. I rolled my eyes at her. "Stop looking at me like that."

"You want me to repeat the question? Which famous woman, Troy?" She giggled yet again, totally in control of the alcohol.

"Well.. Uh.. I don't know.." I started reluctantly as I stumbled over my words. I felt a bit embarrassed, uncomfortable. Why the hell was she asking me this?

She raised her eyebrows, expectantly.

"Erhm..-" I tried to think and looked back at her. "You're famous." A small smile played across my lips. What was wrong with me? Was that really something that came out of my mouth? No, it was the alcohol talking. Of course, she was my girlfriend. But I knew what a hard time she was having, specifically about that certain subject.

She laughed as she took a pillow and threw it at me. It hit me right in the face. "You're gross!''

I laughed too. "What?! You're my girlfriend, Shar! Come on, who would you choose then?"

She shut her mouth and crossed her arms against her chest. Pretending to be mad at me..

"Brad Pitt." She answered immediately. Too quick.

I looked at her in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." I replied.

She looked at me and then started to laugh again. "God, I'm just joking! Of course I wouldn't choose that old, nasty, hairy guy over you." She shuddered as she unbelievably shook her head "I don't even wanna think of that."

"Well good for you." I said as I threw the pillow back at her. She screamed in laughter and started to hit me with the pillow wherever was possible.

"Ouch, Shar. Just..Stop it!" I laughed as I covered my face with my arms. She was sitting next to me on her knees, still on her bed as she tried to slap the back of my head with the pillow. Then I grabbed her waist and pushed her down. It wasn't meant as a movement to get into anything more or something like that. She screamed as she fell backwards, accidently pulling me with her. Next thing I knew I landed on top of her.

She laughed even harder. "Wow, that was one heck of a movement to make it clear." She giggled.

"I wasn't..-" I started, but she stopped me as she laid her forefinger on my lips.

"Shh, no need to deny." She whispered as she smiled.

"But there's..-" She stopped me again by softly pressing her lips against mine.

Thinking clear was so hard right now. And it wasn't only because of the alcohol.

She deepened the kiss, still smiling. She didn't seem to have any flashbacks, and I guess I was kinda glad she didn't have them. She shifted her body a bit, trying to sit up, in a more comfortable position. The kissing turned into a more kind of wilder kissing, and she even seemed a bit.. greedy. My hand was resting on her hip, the other around her neck. I pulled away, realising where this was heading to. She looked at me expectantly, waiting for what I was about to say. But she also seemed.. offended. Because I stopped her. Like she was willing to throw herself onto me as soon as I was done talking.

"Shar.." I started. "You.. don't have to.. I mean.. Your past..-''

She laughed as she cut me off "Troy, don't worry. I'm sure." She replied. She smiled at me as she leaned in and passionately pulled me in for another kiss, or what you could call a kiss. She kind of snapped for my mouth. I smiled against her lips as I slowly reached down for her top.

*

_**A/N: It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Killing me softly**

**-Chapter 21.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

_**Note2: And as promised, the second chapter in one day! I'm not sure how many chapters this story will get, since I'm not finished writing it yet. But there's at least 10 more chapters waiting to be uploaded and to be read. I'll upload them a.s.a.p. (: **_

_**Enjoy this chapter!**_

*

**Sharpay's POV.**

When I woke up I still felt Troy's arms loosely wrapped around me, and it took me a while before I remembered what happened. My head started pounding slightly and I knew how it was going to be the start of a really bad hangover. Luckily it was weekend. But that didn't take away the memory of last night. It was.. weird how I just gave in like that, seeing as though I was still having troubles with my past. But I had to admit, last night had been amazing, and I had no second thoughts about it. Not at all. I actually felt kinda proud at myself, because it finally seemed like I moved on from what happened. And even though I started having this headache, I felt good. Happy. I smiled as I turned around to face Troy, who was still sleeping. Or pretending to be. I wasn't sure.

I don't know how long I've been staring at his gorgeous face. I still couldn't believe he was all mine. All because of a stupid memory, and look at where it had brought us.

After an hour or so he finally woke up too, and his blue eyes immediately locked together with mine once he was awake enough to realise I was still lying next to him. He smiled.

"Promise me you won't let me drink more than two glasses ever again." He said as he dragged a hand through his hair, which made him even more irresistable than he already was.

I giggled slightly. "If you never let me ask that kind of stupid questions again." I replied, thinking back of how insane it must've sound.

"I'm actually kinda glad you did.." He grabbed for my hand and played my fingers. He looked down for a while, and then back at me. "No regrets?" He asked, now sounding serious.

I shook my head, still smiling. "No regrets. Not at all. How about you?"

He shook his head too. "Neither do I. But it's more important for you to have no regrets.."

He paused. "I'm proud of you."

"Really? Why's that?" I asked shyly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Just because I know what you've been going through the past few years. It must've taken a lot of time to trust me after what happened."

"Oh.. that.." I looked down. "Yeah.. It's been hard.. But you definitely proved yourself. I now know I don't have to be scared to get hurt by you.."

"I would never want to hurt you." He whispered back. And I believed him. I knew he meant everything he said, but this was one of the most important things he'd ever said to me. At least, it was for me. For so long, guys had been trying to hurt me. It was good to know that there was at least someone who didn't want to hurt me. And I don't know why I got all the luck to find him, but I did and I couldn't help but fall in love with him even more everytime he said something like that.

"I know that." I whispered back as I intwined our hands.

*

**Sandra's POV.**

I was awake early, too early for a Saturday. I had work to do anyways. After an hour dressing up and everything I went downstairs, grabbed my carkeys, tossed them into my purse and left the house. My phone started ringing halfway to where I was heading.

I sighed as I looked for my phone and tried to focus on the road in the meanwhile. "Damn it." I cursed as I couldn't seem to find it where I thought it would be. It had to be sómewhere. The ringtone started to get louder and louder. Annoying. I opened the zipper of my purse and finally found my phone. Why did I always forget where I left that stupid thing?

I flipped it open without looking at the callers-id and answered with a simple "Hello?", not caring to tell whoever was calling my name and all the other blah-blah stuff.

"Damn, it took you long enough to get that information." I answered annoyed after the explanation from the person on the other end of the line.

"What do you mean you can't give it to me? I ordered you to get it for me, and now you have it you can't even gíve it to me!?" I replied. I really needed to learn how to control my anger. I lost my temper way too easily. No wonder Troy always blew me off. But on the other hand, I had my reasons to be that way to him. I was his manager for God's sake! I had the right to decide over his concerts and everything about it. 'Just not about who his girlfriend was. And if he could even have a girlfriend_.' _I reminisced his words.

_We'll see about that. _I thought bitterly. I wasn't gonna let some so-called love of him screw this whole thing up, because I was sure what she was trying to do. All acting innocent, and so brokenhearted that she pretended to collapse. Sure, I was freaked out when it happened, and for a moment I actually thought she wasn't fooling around.. But the more I was thinking about it, the more stupid it sounded. She was just trying to steal his job from him and then she'd run away, leaving him on his own. Only that dumbass didn't realise that yet. He actually thought she _loved _him. He was falling for her trap and I knew I had to do something about it before it would be too late.

"As a matter of fact, I have the right to know. Didn't you hear that she's probably going to sign the label too? And that would mean she needs a manager, and oh, look at that! I'm a manager!" I said acting as if I really cared. _Not. _I just needed that information and I would crush that little brat. Till the bone. And there was no one who could stop me.

"Damn it, just stop the stupid talking already!" I exclaimed as I rolled my eyes to the person on the other end of the line. Not that he would see, but still. "Just gimme that information or I'll find out elsewhere!''

Still stuttering, he finally gave in.

"A FILE OF 85 PAGES!? Seriously?" I said in shock about the amount of information that I wanted to know so badly. "I'll be right over there. Ok, yeah. Bye.."

I hung up, excited. This was gonna be good. Really good..

*

**Troy's POV.**

Later that day I was at the recording studio, taking a break after pre-recording a few new songs. This was the first time I was recording songs without my manager. Where the hell was she anyways?! I didn't really care though, the less complaining from Sandra, the better. I wasn't really up for talking to her anyways. She'd just go on, and on and on about the things I messed up. Why didn't I just fire her when I had the chance?! _Because I needed a manager. _And even though I disliked Sandra (dislike was even far from what I thought about her), she did her job good. Most of the times. Sure, she was complaining about my relationship with Sharpay too much, but she also had her good sides. If she was in a good mood at least. And even though I didn't really need her, I dialed her number and waited for her to answer her phone. She picked up with a "Hello?", followed by a lot of background noise.

"Hey, where are you?" I asked as I tried to figure out by just listening to the background noise. I had no idea.

_"What do you mean 'Where are you?'?! It's Sáturday." _She sighed annoyed.

I sat there in disbelief, leaping my head into my free hand. "Since when does that make any difference? We would be recording today, and you said you'd be there."

Sandra cursed to herself. _"Damn it, you're right. I totally forgot about that. I'm on my way." _

"Where are you anyways? Seeing as though it isn't really quiet at wherever you're at I assume you're not home anymore?" I asked, curious to know.

_"I..- Uhm..-" _She stuttered. Why did she stutter? Didn't she want me to know? _"I just needed to pick something up, but I'll be coming over straight after that, ok?" _

I sighed deeply, annoyed by the tone in her voice. Bitter. Not that I wasn't used to her attitude, but it still annoyed me pretty often. I glanced at the clock.

"You know what, don't. We're halfway and by the time you finally get here we're done.'' I said, counting to ten and trying not to get angry again. She always got me mad somehow, if it wasn't about Sharpay then it was about work. I was getting sick of the fighting all the time. So maybe we should've just stopped at that point. But we didn't.

_"No, I'll be there." _

"San, as much as I appreciate it..-" I said, trying to sound nice, and like I really appreciated it. Which wasn't the case of course. "There's no need to anymore. I'll let you know how everything went."

Then I hung up on her. I hated how she always tried to get whatever she wanted, and it worked. Even if it didn't make sense at all. It was just stupid. I didn't even care enough to worry about it, so I went back into the studio and followed the instructions one of the recording-guys gave me. We were about to record a song I had been working about two weeks ago, together with someone from the label. This new label was amazing, they were open for new ideas and tried to get the best out of me by giving me instructions about how I could get even better. The label existed out of three people. Janice, the owner of the label, helped me alot since we agreed with the contracts. She was great. I felt pretty comfortable around her and she was really interested in my life besides all the glitter and glamour. She asked about how Sharpay was doing, since she was still interested in her, and I told her she was doing great. I told her about the problems we were having with Sandra, and how she didn't want to accept our relationship. She thought she was just scared of losing me as star. Janice was so much easier to talk to than Sandra, she would've been a better manager. That thought came up in my mind when I had been talking to her a few times, and I was considering to maybe ask her to do it. That'd mean I'd had to fire Sandra, but I was sure she was going to be fine. After all, we weren't really getting along and she got really annoyed with me lately. And vice-versa. So ditching her maybe wasn't even that bad of an idea.

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**Sharpay's POV.**

"Gabs, come on. I really need something to wear and my wardrobe is so not up-to-date with the fashion at the moment.. I haven't got the time to go shopping for like two weeks! You know how hard that is for me, being a shop-a-holic? _**TWO FREAKING WEEKS**_!" I said in the phone. The words came out so fast I could barely keep up. I was standing in the middle of my huge walk-in-closet as I looked at myself in the mirror, I was still wearing my PJ's, even though it was around twelve. I seriously needed a new haircut. And a manicure. And a pedicure... The past weeks had been so busy I didn't even have the time to go on my usual shopping spree. And I was seriously longing to go past every shop at the mall, ready to try on everything I could find. I sighed as I listened to Gabriella complaining about how she didn't want to go to the mall since she had been there yesterday.

"Oh, give me a break. Since when do you reject shopping?"

_"Can't you just borrow something from me instead?"_ Gabriella's voice sounded from the other end of the line. _"What's the big deal anyways?"_

"The big deal is that Í wanna go shopping today because I haven't seen a shop in like two weeks. And Í have to be somewhere tonight and since I haven't signed a label I don't get packages with clothes send to me." I hissed in an annoyed sigh, not understanding how she could possibly be oblivious to the emergency of this.

_"But I thought we would hang out for a movie tonight?" _She replied, disappointed.

"Yeah, that was _before _Troy asked me to go to the VMA's with him tonight." I said with a tone in my voice I didn't mean to let out. "I'm sorry, Gabs. That was mean. I'm just a bit stressed out.. But I couldn't say no to him.. you know.."

Gabriella stayed quiet for a while.

"Come on, are you mad at me now?"

Gabriella remained silent. After an awkward silence she sighed. _"Not mad.. Just disappointed."_

"We'll do it some other time. I promise. What about tomorrow?" I asked, hoping she would agree.

"_I can't.. I'm gonna go bowling with Taylor. You could come with us if you want to?" _

I swallowed. Things still weren't good with Taylor yet. Why did it hurt me to find out that Gabriella had other plans? I thought she always saw me as her best friend, not that treachorous Taylor. And now she chose hér over me?

_"Shar?"_

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on my conversation with Gabriella. "Uhm.. No,.. I think I'll pass. Maybe some other time then?"

_"Sure thing. I gotta go now. Tell me how the VMA's were!" _Gabriella said.

I felt the excitement that I felt earlier returning. Tonight was gonna be great. I smiled. "I will. Talk to you later." I replied as I hung up.

And then another thought came back into my head; I stíll hadn't got Gabriella to go to the mall with me. I dialed her number again.

_"What?" _Gabriella's voice answered.

"I still need you to go shopping with me today." I said. Gabriella groaned, but before she could say anything I interrupted her.

"Pléáse, I need someone to tell me if I look good." I begged her. "And I'll buy you a new outfit!"

_"Fine! I'm going with you!"_ Gabriella exclaimed.

I laughed at her sudden outburst. "Thanks, Gabs.''

I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes at this moment. _"Yeah, better get me the most expensive outfit ever."_

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_**A/N; It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review! (:**_


	22. Chapter 22

**Killing me softly**

**Chapter 22.  
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_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!**_

**_Note2; I'm so sorry for the long, lóng wait! I've been extremely busy, and I forgot about the story ágáín. I really do my best to work on it every now and then, but I just can't seem to find the inspiration. However, I will finish this story, no matter what. It just takes lots of time, and I'm still busy. Please forgive me, and enjoy this chapter. (:  
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Sharpay's POV.**

It was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me. Troy picked me up at eight exactly, not even a minute too late. And he helped me to get into the super-expensive and oh-so-fabulous black limosine. It was a real dream come true. Never had I felt more glamorous, wearing my new knee-length, sparkling, silver Valentino-dress with a pair of gorgeous matching shoes underneath. I litterally spent all my money on the clothes, but it was worth it. My mum sent me to the haidresser when I got home, and I looked amazing by the time my hairdresser was done with me. I felt all ready to go to one of the most famous awardshows in the entire world, but I was nervous too. It would be the first time Troy and I would arrive at something like this tógether. For some odd reason our song got nominated, something Troy didn't tell me until this morning. So I had to come along. Not that I didn't want to go. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to the VMA's?

We were on our way, and I was still amazed by the whole experience. I couldn't be on my way to the VMA's, in a limo, wearing a Valentino dress and together with one of the hottest singers of the moment. It couldn't be real. I pinched myself twice, trying to wake myself up from this crazy dream. But soon enough I got to the conclusion that it wasn't a dream. This was really happening. I quickly glanced at Troy from the corner of my eyes, and he seemed so comfortable. And damn, he looked so hot in tux. I smiled to myself as I looked out of the window, still amazed by the fact that I could see everyone outside, but they couldn't see me. Some people turned their heads when we passed them by, wondering who could sit in that luxury limo. I giggled as I saw some teenage-girls pointed at us when we drove past them. Then they took their bikes and tried to follow us all the way down until it got too dangerous for them to follow us. Then I felt the nervosity coming back, and I looked at Troy again. He seemed to be watching me for a while already. A smile played across my lips.

"What?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he reached for my hand and intwined his fingers with mine. "Nothing."

My smile grew bigger. "You know, you look pretty good in tux."

He laughed. "Says the woman who looks gorgeous herself."

I blushed as I averted my head. I was slowly getting used to getting compliments, but it was still making me shy. It shouldn't have had, though.

"Thanks.. I guess." I replied, not really knowing how to respond.

I felt how he was still watching me, so I looked back. I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed for my stupid response. "I'm sorry,.. I'm just not.. used to getting compliments." I said shyly.

"That's alright." He paused as he looked away for a second, then he locked his blue eyes together with mine again. Was it just me, or did he seem a bit.. nervous for some reason? "I..uhm. I got something for you."

I giggled slightly. "You're making me curious." I said as I smiled again. That smile seemed to be glued on my face tonight. And it wouldn't want to get off.

"Turn around." He told me. I raised an eyebrow, but turned around. I felt how he shove a bit closer to me as he gently put a silver necklace around my neck.

I looked down and carefully touched the little heart that was on it, and then looked at him. He gave me a shy smile.

"I know it's not that big of a deal, but I just..-" He started nervously.

"Troy, it's gorgeous. Really. Thanks so much." I cut him off. Then I leaned in and kissed him softly.

The car stopped and I suddenly realised we must've arrived at our destination. I pulled away as I felt my nerves returning. I swallowed hard, trying to control them, but my hands were shaking. I saw the red carpet dooming up behind Troy, and my stomach turned. This was it. The moment I had been looking forward to the entire day. But now it didn't seem that much fun anymore. It seemed scary as hell. Troy noticed my nervousness, and he smiled an encouraging smile at me. "It's gonna be alright. Trust me."

I just nodded, my throat too dry to give a reply. Then he opened the door and got out, and tons of cameras started to flash. He helped me out, and for a moment I couldn't see anything but flashes. Then I realised I didn't want to look horrible on the photos, I mean, magazines would be gossiping about every weird face you pulled. So I tried to smile as we walked to the entrance. I was secretely hoping people would be like _"Look at her! She looks so amazing!"_, because I actually liked this kind of attention. Of course, paparazzi following you all day long wasn't fun, but it was fun to stand infront of a camera, looking all dressed up and trying your best to impress the people around you. Hoping you could be an inspiration to them. Wow, fame was going to my head already. I always thought I didn't want to become famous, no matter what. But now I was standing here, I actually liked the idea of being known. The idea that people would actually look up to me, gave me confidence.

But as soon as we walked in, I felt the normal teenage-girl that I was returning. I felt how my mouth dropped as I saw a few 'real' celebs walking towards the huge concertbuilding. I never seen so many famous singers and bands in my entire life before. I felt so little when I saw them. And I suddenly didn't feel that comfortable and confident anymore. I wasn't that big of a deal compared to those people. I was just Troy's girlfriend, who had a good voice and who had sung one song with him. How could I think I would be as huge as everyone else here? The people around here were so much bigger and so much more talented. They actually were a somebody. They had been down a long road to get here, and they all deserved to be here. Unlike me. Maybe I would deserve to be here too, in a few years. But not now already. I was still unexpierenced at this whole thing, and still a nobody. But where did that sudden urge to become a somebody come from?

A guy who introduced himself as Jim led us to our seats and then left to bring some other person to his seat. There were pretty much people already. I looked at the seat next to me, just curious to know who would sit next to me, and I literally stopped breathing.

Troy looked at me, worried. "Shar, you okay?"

It took me a while to come back to my senses. I inhaled deep as I looked at Troy, who was still looking at me as if I just had had a heartattack. I giggled at his face.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just.. overwhelmed by everything. I'm sitting next to freaking Taylor Swift for Gods' sake! This can't be real, right?" I said as I almost stumbled over my words. I could barely keep up with my own words, and once I said them my eyes widened, as I suddenly realised what I just said. No, no way that was true.

Troy laughed as he shook his head. He seemed to find my whole starstruck-experience pretty funny. "You're amazing, you know that?"

I crossed my arms against my chest, acting as if I was offended. "You can't convince me by saying you weren't like this when you had your first awardshow."

"So that's exactly what I'm not going to say." He replied, still laughing.

I slapped him playfully as I laughed too. "It's not funny."

"What's not funny?" A voice suddenly sounded from my right side. I looked aside and there stood no one else other than Taylor Swift. I looked at her, shocked, and amazed by her appearance. She was beautiful. I couldn't seem to get the words over my lips as I wanted to reply, I was too overwhelmed by what was happening right now. She smiled at me.

"I'm Taylor" She said as she sat down in her seat next to me. "You're Sharpay Evans, right? Troy's girlfriend?"

I just nodded, still sitting there starstruck. I felt so stupid. I forced a smile and tried to reply. "Y-yeah, that's.. that's me."

"I heard the song you two got nominated for. You have a great voice." Taylor continued, acting as if she didn't notice how speechless I was.

"I.. uh.. Thanks.'' I replied, finally coming to my senses and realising I hád to reply or she'd think I was crazy. "Your new song is amazing."

"Thanks. That's so great to hear." Taylor answered as she pulled in her legs to let someone pass. That certain someone was Troy's manager, Sandra. Ugh, who came up with the stupid idea to invite hér?

Taylor then asked Troy how he was doing and stuff. You know, just the casual talk. She was so down-to-earth, like she hadn't been nominated for her new number one hit 'You belong with me', but more like she was just here to catch up with some friends. I listened to their conversation since I had nothing else to do, and sometimes I laughed along with them and replied to something they said. I wasn't bothered to talk to Sandra, I tried to pretend like she wasn't there, tried to ignore how she was watching if Troy and I weren't getting too close in her opinion. But to her disappointment, that didn't happen. We knew we had to keep a little part of our relationship to ourselves, as far as that was possible. So we tried our hardest to make it work.

I would enjoy this evening, whether Sandra was there or not. I didn't want her to ruin my night, especially not since I was on the edge of becoming more-known. I could really get along with Taylor, and we just talked and laughed until the show started. Then I felt my nervousity returning yet again, and I realised this was the way everyone must've felt at that moment. I was just one of those many nominated people, and they were just as nervous as I was. And for some of them this wasn't even the first time they got nominated. That made me feel a bit more like them, and it felt good.

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****Troy's POV.**

"Seriously, I can't believe you're still complaining about that! It was just one song!'' I said as I rolled my eyes at Sandra. It was two days after the VMA's, and for some reason she decided to hate Sharpay even more. Probably because we won the award our song got nominated for, and Sandra still thought Shar would try to steal me from her. As if that didn't happen already since she kept on going on about it ever since she had known Sharpay.

"One song could mean everything, Troy!" Sandra exclaimed.

This was becoming our daily routine. I came in at the studio, she started complaining about something that had happened, and I got mad at her. Then she got mad at me too, and before we even realised it we were trying to prove the other wrong. I was getting used to it. Not that I liked it.. Never had, never would. But it's just something we couldn't seem to prevend. And it all started ever since Sharpay came into my life. She still didn't approve on us, and she still didn't realise that she had nothing to say about it. No matter how bad she wanted to.

I sighed. "You know what, I'm not even wasting my time on this." I said as I walked into the recording studio, hoping she'd get the hint, leave me alone and let me continue recording the songs.

Unfortunately, she didn't realise a thing.

Instead she walked after me. "Oh, sure. Run away from me again. You know I'm right."

I ignored her as I put the headphone over my ears. Then I looked back at her and gestured her to go away.

"Damn it, you can at least áct like you respect me!" Sandra said as she turned around and headed to the door.

"But we both know that's not true, right?" I replied, inwardly laughing at Sandra. She turned back at me, gave me an over-exaggerated eyeroll and then walked out, slamming the door.

Janice and a few other guys were standing behind the glass, adjusting the equipment and getting ready to record. I saw Sandra coming in, and her face looked as if it was about to explode. She crossed her arms against her chest. Janice asked her something, but Sandra didn't reply to it. Janice then looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged my shoulders as reply, acting as if I didn't know what she meant.

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Gabriella's POV.

"Shar, I just can't go tonight. I have homework to do." I said in the phone. I waited as Sharpay replied. I sighed and opened my drawer. I quickly grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the address down. "I can't promise anything, ok? I just got a lot to do."

_"Then do it some other time. It's important." _Sharpay's voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"Hómework is important too. And if I'm not mistaking, that's something you should be doing aswell." I replied sarcasticly. Ever since she recorded that song she became.. a bit selfish. She only cared about her own little, perfect world. Not everyone had it figured out so well. And I knew that her world wasn't as perfect as she would've wanted it to be.

_"My fúture is more important than that. School's no big deal." _

I rolled my eyes. "You don't even háve a future if you go on like this. Come on, Shar. Isn't fame going to your head already? I mean, you got óne song and you think you got an entire glamour future infront of you.'' I complained.

_"It's not my fault that you're jealous." _She replied, sounding offended.

"Jealous? Me?" I scoffed. "Trust me, I'm happy with my life the way it is. And you should be too."

Sharpay freed an annoyed sigh. _"Are you done yet?"_

"Oh, I can go on for another few hours if you'd want me to."

_"You know what, just forget about it. You don't even háve to come with me. I can handle it myself." _She said through gritted teeth.

_"I gotta go now." _Then she hung up.

I sighed as I put the phone back in its holder and threw the pen back in the drawer. I was getting so sick of Sharpays attitude. Sure, we were friends. But this was going too far.

I didn't want my best friend to become one of those many divas. Too bad I didn't know a way to stop her...

The doorbell rang. I went downstairs and opened the door. My confusion grew as I looked into Sandra's face, Troy's manager. What was she doing here?

"Sandra?" Inwardly I slapped myself. Dúh. Of course she was.

She smiled. "Gabriella, right?"

I nodded.

She smiled again. "I was wondering if I might come in? This will take some time."

"Uh.. Sure." I replied as I stepped aside to let her in.

"Thanks."

I led her to the livingroom and sat down on the couch. "So, what's going on?"

She stayed quiet for a while. She seemed to be very interested in the pattern of the carpet all of a sudden. Then she looked at me.

"It's about Sharpay." She said. "You know she recorded the song, right? Well, the label's interested in her, and I'm about to become her manager.. But there's just one little problem..."

I raised an eyebrow, getting even more confused about why she came over to see mé. "How so?"

"Well.. Let's just say.. I know Sharpay had a rough past. And she told me she didn't like talking about it and asked me to go over to you since you know about it too. I didn't want to bother her any more, so I decided to talk to you. You know, to make it easier for her."

I nodded. Did Sharpay really tell her to go to me? Yeah, I knew about her past. But Sharpay always begged me not to tell anyone. This didn't sound like her. But why would Sandra lie?

"I understand she doesn't like talking about it.. But I don't know, I always promised her not to tell anyone about it. Are you sure she's ok with it?"

Sandra smiled sweetly. "Absolutely. It's important for me to know what happened, because that'll make it easier for me to get along with her. You know, so I know what's going on when she's upset or anything."

I stayed silent and looked down. I was still hesitating about telling her. I mean, what if Sharpay didn't ask her to go to me at all? What if she was just making things up? I slightly shook my head. Sandra was a good person, she wouldn't do that. Sharpay must've told her to ask me. It just didn't sound like the Sharpay I knew for so long already. I knew she changed, but I didn't expect her to send Sandra to mé to tell about her secrets, because she couldn't handle it by herself.

A sudden anger welled up. Who did Sharpay think she was? Letting me do all the hard work and expecting me to go with her everywhere she went! I wasn't her slave. She wasn't the one to control my life. And now she practically ordered me to tell someone I barely knew about hér problems. I would've cared for that if Sharpay didn't change that much, but now it didn't even seem to make sense anymore. Why would I keep all her secrets if she was treating me like her dog?

I looked back at Sandra, who was still waiting patiently for what I was going to say. I smiled back at her. "I understand that. And who am I to let my best friend suffer by all her memories if I know the story just as good, right?"  
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It takes hours to write a story, yet seconds to review!


	23. Chapter 23

**Killing me softly**

**Chapter 23.**

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Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!

**_Note2; Two Chapters in one day! To make it up to you guys. I'm really sorry for my lack of updating. I'll try my hardest to update more soon! I know it's a short one, but it's better than nothing, right?_**

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Sandra's POV.

This hád to end. Fast. I knew that if I would let this go on any longer, he would fire me and Í would have to face the consequences of that. And I couldn't lose my job. I had things to pay for, unlike mr Popular. He acted as if it wouldn't be a problem for me to find another job, but I knew better than that. Finding a new job would be like hell since there weren't many spots free if you were in this buisness. So I had to do everything that it took to prevent myself from getting fired. And there was only one way to do that.

I finally got the files. And I have to admit, I was shocked when I read them. Then I went over to her best friend, just to check if the information was right. And it turned out it was. I couldn't believe she actually believed me when I told her Sharpay was ok with it. Maybe it wasn't right to do this, infringement of her privacy. But I didn't give a damn. I'd rather had her broken, than to let her ruin my job and mý star. I had every reason to hate her, so I did without feeling guilty. Sure, I would hurt hís feelings to, but he would get over it. Everything better than allowing that brat to come near him ever again. And she wouldn't even want to when I was finished with her. She would hate him as much as I hated her. I got it all figured out. I knew what to do, and I had very good connections. This would be finished in no time.

It was sundayevening. Every store was closed. But I went to one of the many publishers in this town though. I knew where he lived, and I knew that money was everything he wanted. And good stories. And damn, I had a few good stories. Better than the stories that had ever been published the past twenty years. I knew they didn't work at Sunday, but I also knew that if I paid him more than enough, he would be pleased to do it for me. This had to happen as soon as possible. And I was running late already. I had waited a week before I decided to actually do it. Not that I felt guilty or anything. I just wanted to make sure the information was right. I wanted to finish this job perfectly. And it would. I was sure of it.

So I rang the bell once I got to the publishers' house as I impatiently waited til he opened the door. He was surprised to see me, I could tell by his face.

"Sandra, hey! That's unexpected." The guy named Bob laughed.

I smiled at him, sure to finish this before anyone I knew would see me. "I need you to do something for me."

He frowned, making imaginable question marks appearing just above his head. "Anything you want."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out how soon he'd realise I was gonna give him the job of his life. "Anything?"

He nodded without hesitation. Stupid as he was. But I loved him though. He was a good publisher. And a great friend on top of that.

I took a step closer, and lowered my voice. "What if I told you I have the most amazing story for you to publish?"

He seemed to realise what I was planning to do. "Then I'd ask you to come back tomorrow, when I'm wórking."

"Trust me, this story's too juicy to wait. And if you don't take it, I got tons of other publishers to go to. You don't want those other publishers to find out about the most amazing, juiciest gossip you'll ever find out about sooner than you, right?" I said with an exaggerated, dramatic, manupulating tone in my voice. It seemed to help. He hesitated. I knew how bad he wanted to get some new gossip. His last work were pieces of shit. This would do his company some good.

"I want to see some money first." He replied. I smiled. Of course I knew this would happen.

"No problem. You think this is enough?" I asked as I shove some money out of my wallet.

His eyes widened, then he smirked as he took the money. "More than enough. It'll be done by tomorrow. The day after if things go wrong."

"I don't pay you to mess up. You better do it right or I want my money back and I'll go to another publisher." I said as I gave him a look.

"Got it. I won't mess up." He replied as if I commanded him something. Well, I actually did, right?

"Ok, so here's the file. A copy, of course. I'm sure you're gonna love this." I said as I gave him a file with papers, I smiled. "You let me know if anything isn't clear, or if you don't know how to do it, right?"

He nodded and took the file too. "Sure thing. Thanks for helping me out. Things haven't really been easy the past few weeks. It was like nothing happened in this world." He rolled his eyes by the memory.

"Don't worry about it, it's the best I can do. Besides, I'm helping myself with this too. Trust me, everything's gonna work out for us." I said, trying to convince him. _'And there will never be a Sharpay Evans in my life again..'_

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Sharpay's POV.

''Troy, I swear I'll kill you if you don't give it back to me!" I yelled as I ran after Troy, trying to get my keys back. My heeled shoes made a soft clicking noise on the tiled path as I tried to keep up with him. Running in heels was hard already, but catching up with him was impossible. And I didn't go to the gym that often so I was out of breath in no time. He laughed as he noticed I wasn't running after him anymore. I gave him a look. Why did I give him my keys again? Oh, right. My phone started ringing like crazy so I started throwing everything out of my purse just to find that stupid thing. At that very moment I asked Troy to hold my stuff, including my keys. And then the caller hung up. By that time Troy was running away already. The child. But I loved him anyways.

I walked over at him. "Pléeaseee?'' I asked with puppy eyes.

He laughed again as he tossed my keys from his one hand to the other. "What do I get back for it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing. You're too mean."

"Then you won't get them back." He said as he started running away again.

I sighed annoyed. "Not ágain." I complained as I crossed my arms against my chest, not planning on going after him again. It wasn't fun anymore.

Then he turned and walked back to me. "Ok, fine. Just admit you're too slow." He teased as he gave me my keys back.

I slapped him playfully. "I hate you."

"No, you don't." He replied as he grabbed my waist and pulled me a bit closer. Then he kissed me.

I pulled away. "We're outside, Troy."

"So?"

I shook my head, laughing. "If there's any left, I'd like to save a little part of my privacy for the cameras." I said as I freed myself.

He smiled slightly. It wasn't convincing though.

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "What's wrong?"

He sighed as he looked down. "Nothing.. Just tired."

Why did he lie? It was obvious. And on top of that, why was he acting so.. strange all of a sudden?

"Don't lie to me, Troy. You can just tell me, you know that." I said.

Then he looked up to me, into my eyes. I bit my lip, shocked. Some kind of guilty expression was written all over his face. What was wrong?

I took his hand and dragged him to the front door. Maybe he would feel more comfortable telling me if we were inside.

I opened the door and walked inside, he followed automatically. I went over to the livingroom and sat down on the couch. He sat down next to me. He didn't start talking like I was hoping he would.

I sighed. "Come on. You can at least say sómething."

He looked at me again, shocked as if I dragged him out of his thoughts. Where in the world was he?

He took a deep breath. "Ok.. but don't get mad.. Please?"

I just nodded. Everything to get him talking. Still confused I waited for the rest.

"You remember I told you you could come with me on my next tour?" He looked away.

I still had no clue. Yeah, I knew what he was talking about.. But I didn't know what was bothering him so much. "Yeah.."

"Well, I've been talking to Sandra.. And she doesn't want to approve on it." He said as he looked back at me. "I'm sorry, I know you were looking forward to it."

I shook my head, still confused. "That's it?"

He gave me a weird look. "What do you mean 'That's it'?"

I laughed slightly, suddenly feeling relieved. "Damn, I thought you were about to break up with me or something." I said, speaking my mind.

It took him a while until he realised what I said. "What? How..- Why do you even think that?" He replied.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know.. The way you acted."

He laughed too as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. Like I always did, I laid my head onto his shoulder.

"You'd really think I'd break up with you?" He asked incredously. He shook his head. "You're crazy, Shar."

"Thanks. And you're mean." I replied sarcastically.

"But you still love me." He chuckled.

I nodded. "Yeah, surprisingly I do."

"So.. You're ok with it?" He said, suddenly sounding serious again.

I looked up at him. "Yeah.. I mean, she's still your manager, so she has the right to say no to it. I knew this could happen."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault you have the most evil person to be your manager." I giggled. "We'll just try again the next time."

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	24. Chapter 24

**Killing me softly**

**Chapter 24.**

_**Note; English isn't my main language! So I'm sorry if I made any mistakes, I hope you'll enjoy reading this story though!  
**_

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**Gabriella's POV.**

Two few days after I told Sandra about Shar's past, I received a package. There was no return addres, only a note taped on it saying "Thanks for everything".

I went back upstairs, to my room, as I ripped the brown paper from the package. Still confused I looked at the magazine. Why would someone send me a magazine to thank me for something? And on top of that, why did they send me a magazine I didn't even réad?

My eyes widened when I looked at the cover again. This couldn't be true. Slowly I started to realise what was happening. She used me. To tear them apart. And even worse, I was part of her plan. And Í was so stupid to listen to her, and to believe her. I quickly threw the magazine in a corner, just so I wouldn't have to look at it any longer. Then I suddenly realised what it would mean if théy would find out. Would they blame me? Would they blame each other? I got mad at myself. How could I do this to my best friend! Yes, I was angry with her for some stupid reason, but was that the reason why I had given in to hér? Was that the reason whý I spilled everything I knew? I had to call Shar. Immediately. Before she'd find out.

I searched my room for my phone. Why was it always that if you needed something, you were never able to find it? I threw the blankets from my bed, in the meanwhile asking myself why the heck I would leave my phone in my béd. But knowing myself, I knew it could be éverywhere. I eventually found it downstairs, somewhere hidden in my bag. I dialed Shar's number. Then I started hesitating. What if she got angry? Dúh, of course she'd get angry! I told someone I barely knew about hér past, and I promised her not to tell anyone ever since I knew her. And I broke my promise. Damn it. I hung up and sat down on the couch, disappointed in myself. I didn't even know how to tell my best friend.

My phone started ringing. I looked at the display, startled. I freed a relieved sigh as I noticed it wasn't Sharpay calling. I didn't recognize the Caller-ID though.

"Hello?" I answered after I picked up my phone.

"_Gabriella. It's Sandra. You know, Troy's manager?" _The voice from the other end of the line sounded.

I swallowed hard. "Oh. Hi."

_"Did you receive my package?" _Sandra asked.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Then I exhaled deeply. "Yes."

_"Great. I hope you're not too mad..-" _

_Not too mad! _Was she kidding me?

"How can you do this to them? You'll tear them apart when they'll find out!" I replied incredulously, still not understanding why she gave the story away.

_"Trust me, it's for the better." _Sandra said calmly. _"This way Sharpay can completely move on from her past." _

"And if that means you have to break them up!''

_"Then maybe they just weren't meant to be." _

Anger rised up from the pit of my soul. She was such a heartless, pathetic bitch.

"You've got to be kidding me. They líve for each other. Shar's past won't stop them from loving each other."

_"I'm not so sure about that.." _She paused. _"Listen, I'm sure that.. Deep down inside of you.. There's a part that wants her best friend back, right? I know you two haven't been getting along very well the past few weeks.. Don't you think this is the perfect way to get things back to the way it used to be?" _

I bit my lip, so hard it hurt. So hard that it made tears welling up in my eyes. She did have a point.

Sandra assumed my silence was a sign for her to continue.

_"Don't you think Sharpay's becoming a bit.. selfish since she's famous?" _

I took a deep breath. "Yeah.."

_"And don't you think that's all because she and my dear Troy got together?" _

"Y-yeah.."

_"Then don't you think it's better if we help them a bit to get things back to its normal way of going?" _

I swallowed again. "M-maybe.."

_"And you know what it means if they split up? It'll mean Troy's single again.."_

I don't know why, but my heart skipped a beat when she said that. That would mean..-

Sandra interrupted my thoughts. _"The way I see it, things will only get better if we keep our mouths shut." _

I was still hesitating. "I don't know, it doesn't feel right."

_"Would you rather lose your best friend instead?" _Sandra snapped. The sudden coldness in her voice made me shiver. She was right.

"No.."

_"Then it's better not to tell her, right?" _

"I.. guess.."

_"Good, so we got a deal? We won't say anything, you'll get your best friend back, and I get Troy back." _

"Y-yeah." I answered, still stuttering. She convinced me, she was completely right. But why didn't I feel comfortable with it then?

Her smile sounded through her voice. _"Great! And I'm thinking.. Maybe I can take care of some stuff, you know.. How would you like to go out with Troy sometime?" _

I literally stopped breathing for a few seconds. "W-what? You'd do that?" I asked incredulously.

_"Yeah.. You deserve a reward for your great work, right?"_

I was sold. "That would be amazing! Thanks so much!"

_"No problem, honey. As long as you promise me to keep your mouth closed, I'll get you that date." _

"I will. Promise." I replied even faster than I actually realised what she said to me. But I didn't care.

**Troy's POV.**

I spent day after day writing and recording new songs. It took all my free time. Not that I didn't like it, but I just didn't want my job to take over my life. Sure it was important, but there were more important things in my life.

We had been recording songs for two hours, and my throat was getting sore. Janice noticed that. Unlike Sandra, who kept telling me to do it over again because it didn't sound good in her opinion. I didn't even waste my breath to reply to her. Maybe it was better to just act like she didn't exist. Her contract would expire in a few months, so I just had to deal with that. She didn't know I wasn't planning on firing her. I didn't take the effort to tell her. I'd tell her, soon.

I was exhausted. Sick of doing the same song over and over again. Sick of being told that I didn't do good. Sick of the entire day. I hadn't been in a very good mood today. Everything went wrong. I missed the notes, lost the lyrics couple of times, started singing too late, ended too soon and so on. I just had a bad day. But it gave Sandra an even better reason to tell me how bad I sounded. Just so I would do it right.

We just finished the song for the fifth time. And it still sounded horrible.

"Troy, maybe it's better to take a break for a while." Janice told me. I nodded thankfully and took my headphone off.

Then Sandra started complaining again. "Oh, no. That's not happening."

I rolled my eyes. "If you want me to have no voice left by the end of the day we should really go on."

"I don't care. We have to get this song, and another one done by today."

Janice came between. "It's either going on when he has a sore throat and sounds terrible..- No offence, Troy." She paused and glanced at me to see if she offended me.

"Or he takes a break now and continues the song later on. His voice needs some rest. We can record the other song tomorrow aswell."

I smiled slightly. How come Janice could be so calm when she was talking to Sandra? Everyone would freak out if they had to convince Sandra to do something.

Sandra freed an annoyed sigh as she threw her hands up in the air. "He has other things to do too!"

"Then you reschedule." Janice said, with a tone in her voice that meant that she was done talking. She gathered her stuff and headed to the door, quickly giving me a nod to make clear that I was off for a break.

I walked to the door, and over to the lobby. "Thanks for that." I said to Janice as I noticed she was already there.

She smiled. "That's alright. She just doesn't realise what it means if you have no voice left by the end of the day."

I shook my head as I sat down. "She never realises anything." I said, half-laughing.

There was a short silence between us.

"Troy? What's going on today?" Janice suddenly asked.

I looked at her, being dragged out of my thoughts. I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea. I guess I'm just having a bad day today."

"You sure that's it?" She looked at me, intriguing. "I mean, nothing has happened? I don't know, between you and Sharpay or anything?"

I shook my head again. "No. We're doing good." I said. "It's just.. Recording takes so much time. I have no free time left."

"Look at it from the brightside. You will be busy for another few days, but then after that you'll have a few days off. Then you can catch up the time you don't have right now."

I sighed as I closed my eyes, tired. "Yeah, you must be right. It's just really exhausting." I re-opened my eyes.

"I know that. And with a manager like that.." Janice trailed off, but I knew she was talking about Sandra.

I laughed slightly. "Trust me, it's not easy."

She laughed along with me. "Yeah, I noticed that."

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